Achromatic Sky
by Ms. Mumpsimus
Summary: People don't know what they have until it's gone—It's a simple truth that they often forget.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own DGM.

**Warning:** I don't have a beta. This is a tragedy fic. You have been warned.

**Title:** Achromatic Sky

**Summary:**People don't know what they have until it's gone—it's a simple truth that they often forget.

* * *

><p><em>"Isn't it ironic?<br>We ignore the ones who adore us,  
>adore the ones who ignore us,<br>love the ones who hurt us,  
>&amp; hurt the ones that love us"<em>

— **Stewie Stewart, "Ironic"**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

* * *

><p>"What? 4am? Are you fucking nuts?"<p>

Allen sighed as he hurriedly prepared his bag. He glanced at the wall clock at he grimaced when he realized that he was already five minutes delayed.

He spared his friend, now scowling at him, a glance.

"Lenalee, stop fussing about things, alright? I'm used waking up two thirty in the morning, remember?"

The woman almost slapped her face. If Allen wasn't too keen on keeping his schedule, he would have laughed. Lenalee looked ridiculously out of her character right now. She was a supermodel, well, not really a _super_, but a model nevertheless. Not to mention that she was quite good at it too. She used wearing designer clothes, top class shoes, and accessories, but when she was at home or around her few close friends like Allen, she was still the same Lenalee they had met before; messy, bulgar at times, and on top of it all, a lousy dresser.

"But Allen, you're no longer acquainted with Cross! And you have no reason to wake up so damn early in the morning just to cook or do something for someone who doesn't have enough balls to keep his lousy house hygienic! Stop doing that maggot a favor and think of yourself even for just once!" Lenalee huffed as he crossed her long legs and her arms.

Allen scowled. "Stop calling him names. You know that is not true, Lena. His house is clean and you know how a clean freak he is. Maybe you're subconsciously thinking of Lavi. He's quite disorganized with his things, if you will ask me."

More furious huffing was heard in the air.

"I am not thinking of that monkey-faced human and I so don't care about him being disorganize! In short, I don't give a damn about him at all!" Lenalee shouted as she flailed, her cheeks were flaming red and her eyes were comically bulging on their rightful sockets.

Allen snorted. Really, Lenalee _loved_ Lavi that _much_?

The woman's eyes grew dimmer. "What the hell are you snorting at?"

"Nothing."

"You're laughing at me, aren't you, Allen Walker?"

"No, I am definitely not laughing at you," he was trying so hard to keep a straight face while saying that.

Her eyes thinned as she glared at him. "You perfectly know how much I hate that good-for-nothing mutt, Allen."

Allen almost winced with the names Lenalee was calling Lavi. Last week she was calling him buffoon.

_Poor ol' lad._

Lenalee looked so flustered and Allen almost laughed. She looked so adorable.

"Alright, alright. I'm stopping now. I'm sorry," he laughed as he nodded his head.

He looked at the wall clock again and he almost cursed when he realized that he was almost twenty minutes late!

SHIT!

"I'll go now!" he grabbed his bag and the sandwich on the small table and headed to the door. "And don't forget to lock the door when you go. Don't forget to give Tim his food! Thanks Lena!" He shouted as he almost ran to the door then he abruptly stopped. He grinned to himself as he turned again. "One more thing, Lena. Will you please stop molesting Lavi in your mind? I think it's becoming more and more obvious by now. I'm sure you don't want him to think you're... uhm... kind of creepy or something like that, don't you?"

He almost got hit with two, flying fluffy slippers.

"I will sell your dog! Just you wait, Walker! I mean it!" Allen heard Lenalle shouted as he closed the door of his apartment.

Allen just smiled. Of course, she wouldn't. She loved Tim as much as Allen loved the dog.

..

* * *

><p>"Will you be using credit card or cash?"<p>

Allen smiled. "Cash," he grabbed his wallet and pulled out some money. He eyed his groceries with a smile. He counted the items, trying to think if he forgot anything else. He didn't notice that the woman in front of him was already staring, smiling, as she checked his money.

"You're going camping? That's a lot of cup noodles you got there."

Allen eyed the kind-looking woman and shyly smiled, "N-not really ma'am. A friend of mine just loves eating noodles."

The woman smiled again as he grabbed the plastic and gave it to him. "I see. Thanks for shopping with us, hope you'll be back again soon."

Allen beamed as he bowed to her and he saw her do the same.

By the time he reached the train station, he was almost got left by the train. It would take another seven minutes for the next train to arrive. Allen panted as he tried to regain a steady breathing.

He leaned at the train's wall as he puffed. He looked at his wrist where he usually wore his watch but it was not there. He panicked for a second, thinking that maybe he lost it. Maybe he forgot it at the kitchen sink this morning? He was thinking about the watch when a small girl approached him and asked why his hair was white and said "You look beautiful, mister." Her mother immediately reprimanded her daughter and apologized to him. He blushed when he felt the other train passengers staring at him and some of them were even smiling. Allen didn't know where to look after that.

He smiled as he looked outside. He was quite early. He thought he would be late today. He closed his eyes as he think of the things that he would do today. He was finished with the laundry yesterday so maybe he should air out the futon today?

Allen smiled.

..

* * *

><p>When he reached the house, he gleefully opened the door using his own key. He made sure to be quiet though because it was only nine in the morning and that guy was probably still sleeping by now. Allen couldn't help but smile at this thought. It was just so hard to think of him cuddling a pillow. He looked around the house. It was still the same as he left in yesterday. Allen smiled and he took his shoes and placed it at the floor near the door. Then suddenly, he felt an unexplainable feeling bubbling inside of him. Allen looked around again, deciphering what was that feeling he felt upon entering. Blinking a few times, he disregarded that thought and went straight to Kanda's kitchen and placed his groceries at table.<p>

Maybe he was just thinking too much. Or maybe, an empty house kept him on remembering his own apartment every evening when he was all alone inside.

_But this is not an empty house_, he told himself. _I am not alone because Kanda is here._

Allen smiled, cheering himself up.

He wanted to cook something special for this day so he should probably start working now. He folded his long sleeves until it reached his elbow and he gathered his silver white shoulder-length hair into a pony tail.

"Alright. Here we go..." he whispered as he stared at the ingredients lying in the kitchen table. He had to hurry if he wanted this to be finish exactly after an hour.

Cooking was one of his favorite past time when he was still in college, aside from playing the guitar and piano. He grew up without his parents and he really didn't remember them now. Mana, a pianist that took him when he was still a kid, said that his parents were both talented musicians and he was their friend. When Allen was still two years old, they died in a car accident. All he had that time, according to Mana, was his nanny who was taking care of him when his parents were away.

Due to the fact that the marriage of his parents were never been blessed by his grandparents and they never really talked about their past even to their close friend, Mana Walker, the kind man had a problem tracing his relatives. After quite some time, Mana decided to took him as his own son and that's how he ended up with his surname 'Walker'.

Truth to be told, he didn't even remember his own surname by now. He was happy growing up with his adoptive father, though he felt bad whenever he remembered that he was exactly the reason why Mana decided not to marry anymore.

He wanted his father to be happy and to lived his life as he would like it – not to be stuck with some kind of burden a son that wasn't even his own.

He would like Mana to have his own kid, his own family. But whenever he would bring out the topic, Mana would just dismiss him with a smile while saying, 'I don't need a baby. I already have one'. Allen would just pout at this, while murmuring something like 'I am not a baby anymore', well aware that his father could hear him.

Mana would just laugh and ruffled his hair until Allen would whine on how childish his adoptive father was.

He never thought of himself as an unlucky child. He never remembered being sad while he was a kid, all because Mana wouldn't give him a chance to be. He would constantly shower him with attention, never leaving him alone.

The kind man taught him so many things. He was the man he was today, all because of Mana. He taught him how to love music and how to appreciate people and their kindness. He showed him how beautiful the world was and taught him be sensitive with other people's feelings. Mana was a kind man and he loved Allen as much as he could – just like a real father, possibly even more than that.

Allen would forever be thankful that Mana was the one who took him. He promised to himself that he would spend his whole life making his father happy.

Because he knew that Mana wanted him to be as much as happy too.

Mana was also the one who introduced _that_ person to him.

He was fifteen years old when he first met _him._And he couldn't help to remembered that at that time, he thought he saw the most expressive pair of eyes there were in the world.

The kid was scowling. His face was distorted with immeasurable displeasure but his eyes were really something... Allen even called those orbs beautiful that day. And his opinion about Kanda's eyes never wavered up until now, though. Midnight blue colored orbs stared at him without any inhibitions; there was no single hint of qualm about what he might think about the glaring since this was their first meeting. His anger was emitting through his eyes, never holding back. Kanda stared at Allen like he knew him for a long time now and then he smirked while his scowl was clearly deepening.

When he spoke, Allen was literally blown away.

"What the fucking hell are you staring at, Shorty? Fuck off."

And he thought; _what a bloody dirty mouth._

He was Kanda Yuu, a seventeen-year-old Japanese teenager with a personality disorder. He was fifteen years old when his family first migrated to England. He was thrown by his father in Mana's care at that time in hope that he would learn some _character_ and _finesse_ if he learned how to play the piano.

Unfortunately, he didn't, and Allen was so feeling bad about it since Mana was really a great teacher. It was just that Kanda was not really into music and his father was just pissing him off when he solely decided to throw Kanda in piano lessons.

Afterwards, Kanda and Allen became somewhat friends.

They went to the same college after their high school and since then, the two of them became attached to one another. Well, kind of.

But Allen couldn't seriously say that the two of them were friends. For instance, his presence here, in Kanda's apartment, wasn't really wanted. He was just the one who insisted in helping Kanda with the laundry and cooking since the man was so bad at these things. At first, Kanda was so pissed at Allen's constant presence in his apartment but as the time went by, the cussing in the air stopped. Until one day, Allen saw a spare key lying in the kitchen table.

He was so happy, he almost cried.

That was probably one of the happiest moments in his life.

Kanda had accepted his presence, that's what all Allen understood.

He efficiently juggled his time in work, in his house, and going to Kanda's place every day. He was a Piano Teacher at a music university. It was a great thing that his house was near at Kanda's place. He could easily board the train to go here and help him with the chores.

Mana was currently away because of his three month world tour as an international pianist along with other international piano geniuses in the world and Allen was honestly happy with his adoptive father's achievement. It was his life time dream after all – to be acknowledged as a professional and world-class pianist and he was more than happy to see Mana's dream become a reality. He was just feeling a bit alone because this was the first time that Mana had been away from him for so long. They were always talking on social websites though and Allen could see him always everyday because of video messaging so he told himself to stop feeling down.

It was the second month of his world tour and next month, he would be seeing his father again.

It was more than enough to motivate Allen.

..

* * *

><p>Allen wiped the sweat that was now running it way down on his forehead and stared at his master piece. He cooked quite a lot today and it was only for breakfast.<p>

_Tamagoyaki, okayu_, broiled fish, and _miso_ soup. It was all Japanese food and Allen wasn't really sure if he did right but since Kanda was so adamant on eating Japanese food, he actually researched some Japanese recipes to at least please his friend.

He wanted to at least see Kanda smiling once in a while.

Allen beamed while imagining what would be Kanda's reaction if he saw what's on his dining table this morning. He looked at the closed door of the man's room and decided that he should first wash his hands before waking him up. He wiped his hands with his apron and headed to the door. After eating breakfast, Allen reminded himself that he needed to air out Kanda's futon before he go to work.

He sighed as he happily wiped his forehead again. He was tired, yes, but it was all worth it.

Allen didn't knock and just continued turning the knob. Slowly, he silently opened the door; a refreshing smile was still etched on his face only to be found out that Kanda wasn't inside.

There wasn't even a trace that the man slept here last night. The futon was carefully rolled at one side of the room and the books that Kanda used to read before he sleep wasn't even out of the bookshelf. Usually, he would see them scattered around the floor by morning.

He felt his shoulder sagged.

Kanda wasn't inside the house when Allen entered an hour ago.

This wasn't the first time it happened.

He looked around the room for another minute, savoring the emptiness he was seeing.

He slowly closed the door and he unhurriedly walked to the kitchen.

It was so quiet.

Allen wondered why empty houses always seemed like bigger than their usual size.

He pulled a chair and sat, his eyes were never leaving the food in front of him.

"I still need to air out the futon..." Allen whispered as he closed his eyes. He leaned his head to the chair; his silver white hair was slowly dancing to the small wind entering from the small window in the kitchen.

He should have known.

That he was all alone all along.

_.._

* * *

><p>"That's great! I mean, I've been searching for it for months now and then you found it from a rundown bookstore? Geez, you're really a bookworm, Kanda."<p>

"You mean you're just too lazy to actually look for it."

"I am not!"

"You are."

Allen opened his eyes when he heard a familiar voice of a woman. There's Kanda's voice too. That's when he understood it all.

A faint smile graced his face but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Hey, the door's open," Allen heard Kanda said and he stood. He walked to the door and before the woman could give Kanda her reply, they were greeted with a smiling white haired man, his left hand was clutching his head and seemingly bowing in apology.

"Allen!"

"I know it's you. What the hell are you doing here this early?"

Smilling, Allen kept his head bowed. "I'm so sorry. I thought I'll cook a little since my first class will not start until one this afternoon."

Kanda tch'ed. A familiar habit of the man whenever he was kind of pissed or if he just didn't know what to say. Allen smiled again.

"Allen! How are you? I've been meaning to visit you to your apartment but the nasty guy over there was saying you're too busy to entertain visitors. I miss you!" The woman hugged him and Allen almost yelped in surprised. He draped his arms over the lithe body of the woman and he smiled again and said, "I miss you too, Alma. You know that you can always visit me, right?"

He was chuckling over Alma's frolics and whining when he caught Kanda staring at him intently. He was watching Allen with a known intensity and he was sure that it wasn't because Alma was still hugging him. Alma had always been a sweet friend and she had always treated Allen as a small brother she never had. Kanda had no qualms with Allen and Alma spending time together because Kanda was sure that Allen wouldn't feel_that_way to the woman.

It was funny to even think that way.

Kanda knew, after all, that Allen Walker was in love with him.

So why he was staring at him like he had done something gravely offending?

"... and he was complaining all the way here! Hey? Allen? Are you listening?"

Allen blinked and stared at the face that was still stamped to his chest. He smiled as he ruffled Alma's short hair. "Sorry. I was just thinking of something. What is it again?"

Alma pouted as she buried her head on Allen's coat again. "No one's really listening to me."

Allen chuckled at that.

"Stop sprouting nonsense," Kanda butted in, his eyes were fixated at the food on the table. "Make yourself useful and arrange the books in my room. I think I've left them scattered on the floor."

Alma stuck out her tongue and shouted 'you stingy!' before she ran to the door.

Allen sighed and turned to Kanda. "Why did you lie to Alma just now?"

"What the fuck's your problem, moyashi?"

Allen halted and stared at Kanda.

"What do you mean?" Allen asked as he watched Kanda drink. He looked so pissed.

"Didn't I tell you I'll fucking wipe out that phony smile on your face if I ever see it again? What the fucking heck is your problem now?"

Allen blinked as he tried to catch his voice now wandering somewhere in his throat. He really wanted to answer that one.

"You don't have to come here every fucking single day to cook. I can do it myself. I don't need you to do it for me."

But it was getting harder and harder to catch it.

"And if it's about the laundry, I can always send my clothes to a laundry shop. So, you don't have to come here anymore. You don't have an obligation to do these things," with a finality, Kanda said and he sighed as he scratched his head. "You're always here, everyday single day. Aren't you getting tired coming here? Your apartment is quite far away from here, right? Why don't you spend your extra time for yourself?"

He couldn't help but remember Lanalee and her words just this morning:

"_You have no reason to wake up so damn early in the morning just to cook or do something for someone who doesn't have enough balls to keep his lousy house hygienic! Stop doing that maggot a favor and think of yourself even for just once!"_

Allen wanted to laugh. Somehow, Kanda and Lenalee, who was declaring how much they hated each other every time they would meet, were now saying almost the same thing to him.

It was funny, but Allen surprisingly couldn't force his face to smile.

"You don't have to do this anymore."

Cooking and doing the laundry, he could still do it. Anything at all, as long as he was close to Kanda. As long as he could stay close him. Anything, he could do anything. He really didn't care if his efforts were all futile. It was alright. As long as he could see Kanda, as long as he could be with him. He could endure anything...

When Allen caught his voice, he immediately spoke, afraid that Kanda would just cut him off, "It's okay, I really don't mind –"

"Alma and I are getting engage this month."

However, that sentence made all the difference.

He felt something explode inside of him.

Pain.

Pain.

Despite the excruciating ache now bubbling inside him, Allen, in all his might, tried to relax his shoulders and appear as calm as the calm sea. He tried to smile his best smile to Kanda, one of his best fake smiles that even a keen observer like Kanda wouldn't notice, and he comically sighed as he patted the man's shoulders (that Kanda furiously slapped away) as he said his congratulatory remarks.

It was the longest and agonizing two hours of Allen's life.

Because at that time, all he wanted to do was to ran away from it all and let all the bottled feelings inside him out.

He wanted to take it all out.

Kanda perfectly knew what Allen felt about him.

But he didn't care.

Kanda never cared.

Because Kanda love somebody else.

He loved Alma, a woman.

That all made the difference.

..

* * *

><p>"I love trips like this!" Alma shouted as she twirled in front of Kanda's ancestor house deep in a mountain. "The journey was so breezy! I'm glad we didn't close the windows, right, Allen?" She looked at the white haired man who was now helping a rather irritated friend, Lenalee with her baggage. Allen showed a smile and he faintly nodded to the inquiry. He glanced at his friend and he almost ran in fear when he saw that Lenalee was indeed furious. Her long hair was now sticking out in all directions. She glared at Allen who was silently hushing her and the man cringed when she glared at him, her sharp eyes were screaming, 'why do you agreed with this trip, you fucking masochist?'<p>

"Are you alright, Lenalee?" Alma asked when she saw her glaring furiously at Allen. Kanda was now staring at the two too.

Allen gulped, "Yes, she's alright. Lenalee is just having a bad hair day. Literally."

From out of nowhere, a loud chuckle was heard.

Lenalee dangerously snapped his head to the culprit. "What the hell are you laughing, you good for nothing twerp? Who said that you can go with us, huh? WHY THE HELL ARE YOU HERE, HUH?"

Lavi immediately hidden himself behind Kanda who was carrying Alma's bag.

"Yuu invited me, you witch! The owner of the house invited me!"

Kanda glared at the red haired, "I didn't remember inviting you, asshole."

"Aww... that was harsh, Yuu... I'm hurt!"

Lenalee's eyebrows twitched.

"If that's the case, then GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE. NOW!" She kicked Lavi will all her might and Lavi flew a few meters from where he was standing seconds ago.

Alma shrieked as she watched Lavi stumbled in a grassy plain.

"Lenalee! Stop this!" Allen was trying all his might to stop Lenalee's rampage.

The woman just smacked him on the face.

"I didn't remember inviting you here too," was Kanda's cold response to the violence happening in front of him.

Lenalee abruptly stopped. She stared at the pair of cold eyes staring at her, her eyes were growing colder and colder each passing second. "You think I will let Allen go here alone with you? You're fucking nuts, if that's what you think, Kanda Yuu," she was glaring Kanda in such a manner that was completely foreign to Allen. He was used in Lenalee's anger but the feeling the woman emitting when she was with Kanda was so overwhelming. It seemed like she hated him in the bottom of her heart. Like Kanda had done something so appalling to her that all was left was to her was to hate him.

"I didn't invite the moyashi here, so shut your trap, woman. If you hate me so much like what you are always saying, then why don't you get the fuck out of here? No one's forcing you stay, bitch." Kanda coldly asked as he walked passed Lenalee and Allen while dragging Alma with him.

Lenalee shrieked, calling Kanda names, telling him to fuck off while Allen's eyes grew dimmer as he watched Kanda's hands held Alma's.

Something painful throbbed in his chest as he sighed. Really, was he becoming a masochist like what Lenalee kept on saying?

He didn't notice that Lenalee was staring him while he stared at the two.

"Quite painful, isn't it?"

Allen snapped back to reality upon hearing that. He looked at Lenalee and he saw her sighed. Allen almost bit his lips.

Not good.

"What is?" he asked, smiling. He went to helped Lavi stand up as the man whined how cruel women could be. He let Lavi go inside first as he carried the remaining baggage on the van.

"Like being so unnecessary kind?" Lenalee lit up a cigarette and she flicked the end of it on the ground. Allen watched the smokes weaved in the air like threads.

He was usually against Lenalee smoking but today, he wasn't even sure if he wanted to lecture Lenalee about what was wrong or right when he was clearly doing something worth reprimanding too.

"Don't say that," he said as a faint smile formed on his lips. "It hurts when your friend reminds you that you're too kind for your own good."

"Why did you agreed on this pathetic excuse for a vacation then? Kanda will propose here, right? You actually want to witness that, Allen? You actually want to see that with your own eyes, because, what? You feel you still can't not let go, not until you do? Know what, friend? You're sick."

Allen bit his lips.

It hurts.

"B-but A-Alma invited m-me here... and she didn't know anything about the proposal."

"You should have said no! God, Allen. What are you? A fucking saint? As far as I know, there were no gay saints out there so don't start fucking acting like one!" Lenalee was now seriously mad, Allen could tell. Her words were now cutting and callous. Allen knew that it was supposed to wake him up, to let him see what's right now and what the hell was wrong with what he was doing but all he felt was a raw pain digging on his heart, making his head more messed up.

It hurts feeling like this, but it hurts more to hear his friend forced the hurtful words out of her mouth just to make him understand that there was nothing he could do now.

Kanda already decided and there was nothing to look forward in the first place anyway. Because Kanda made sure that what he gave Allen was not more than what he could take. He never gave Allen false hopes, he downright rejected him the first time Allen told him his feelings. Kanda had been straight to the point. He was straight and he loved Alma.

Allen was just an extra baggage he accumulated along the way.

But still, he stayed.

He never left Kanda's side no matter how harsh Kanda to him.

Allen never left.

Alma was Kanda's childhood friend and he knew that the man already loved her since they were still kids.

He knew that he was no match to Alma.

That he never had a chance to win Kanda.

But still...

"Allen," Lenalee's voice softened as he watched her friend's agonized face. Allen wasn't crying but she knew that inside, Allen was screaming for help. She was now seriously feeling so bad that she said all those things. "I'm sorry. I should have never said that. I-I'm... I am just f-frustrated that you were hurting yourself for someone that doesn't even worthy of your attention. He was a jerk and you freaking know it," her voice became stiff at the last sentence.

Allen just stayed quiet. His eyes remained fixed at the ground as he listened to Lenalee. He wasn't angry at her – not at all, but rather, he was mad at himself for making Lenalee say those words.

Lenalee pulled him into a hug.

"Stupid... Stupid, stupid Allen..." She said as he caressed his hair, his face was buried into Allen's neck. "You're so stupid I can smack you again, really."

Allen smiled. He closed his eyes and returned the hug. Lenalee was so warm and Allen leaned his head to the comfort of having someone beside you. He was such an idiot for thinking that he was alone when he had Lenalee.

"Are you angry at me?" He heard the woman asked him, his face was still buried at cook of his neck.

Allen closed his eyes. He touched Lenalee's hair with his left hand and gently ruffled it. "How can I stay mad at someone who always makes me smile?"

Lenalee smiled too, her eyes were gleaming with unshed tears. "You bet. I'm important to you so you better take care of me, you pinhead. 'Sides, it's your fault. You really don't listen to me."

Allen sighed, still smiling. "Yes, yes, I am an idiot for not listening to the great Lenalee Lee. I am sorry."

Lenalee smiled confidently as he hugged Allen tighter. "Good," she said as he patted Allen's back. "At least you're learning."

Allen just shook his head and let Lenalee hugged her more tightly than before.

"Thanks, Lenalee,"Allen whispered, almost to himself, as he stared at the blue sky.

..

* * *

><p>"You should have not said that, Yuu," Alma said as he watched Kanda arranged her things. She insisted to arrange her cabinet but the man refused.<p>

"What is?"

"Those things that you said at Lenalee," she said, her voice was low. "She is also my friend, you know. Why do you hate her so much, anyway?"

Kanda was retraining himself to sigh. Sighing meant frustration and he refused to be frustrated over something so trivial.

"She hates me first," was all he answered. He continued arranging the bags at the other side of the bed.

"But why?"

"I don't know, Alma. Maybe she has something with that moyashi..." his voice trailed and he was now actually thinking if maybe that was really the case.

"Something with Allen? What do you mean?" Alma prodded, insistently poking for some answer.

"Nothing. Don't think about it." Kanda dismissed the conversation immediately. "Just rests for tonight then tomorrow, well go in the river to boat, just like I promise you." He leaned to kiss Alma on the cheeks and Alma blushed. Kanda faintly smiled as he closed the door and headed to his room. He saw the room that was being occupied by Allen and somehow, he felt his footsteps faltered. He found himself in front of Allen's room. He pulled something on his jean's pocket and stared at the watch at his hand. It was an old, cheap-looking watch. He remembered buying it when he was eighteen years old as a gift to a rather odd friend he made when his father thrown him into a piano lesson. He was the son of his piano teacher and the first thing he said to him was to 'fuck off' much to the horror of his father.

His lips stretched into a small smile upon remembering the boy's facial reaction to his rather uncouth remark.

Something flashed in Kanda's mind.

_I like you._

The watch slipped on his hands and fell on the floor.

Kanda bent to get it and he clutched in again with his hand.

Somehow, Kanda knew the reason why Allen was still keeping the cheap and old watch he gave to him seven years ago.

"That stupid moyashi," he spit the words and continued walking through the hallway.

..

* * *

><p>The next morning, Allen woke up feeling rather sluggish. Lenalee insisted to sleep inside his room, much to the white haired man's chagrin. No matter how close they were, Lenalee was still a girl.<p>

Allen was gay, alright, but he was still a man and of course, as a gentleman through and through, Allen refused – at first, because Lenalee, as hard headed as she was, snubbed Allen's words.

And in the end, Lenalee still won.

That wasn't even new to him.

Allen sighed as he dragged his body to the kitchen. There was only one bed inside his room and since Lenalee refused to let Allen sleep on the floor, he waited the woman to fell asleep before he sneaked out of the bed to get the extra futon inside the cabinet that he saw yesterday. It was already two in the morning when Lenalee's energetic mouth stopped talking.

Allen felt like sleeping the whole day. If he hadn't promised Alma that he would help her get strawberries at the back of the mansion, he wouldn't even dare open his eyes this morning. The woman was so enthusiastic about it that Allen couldn't say no to her.

"Good morning, Allen-chan!" Lavi greeted Allen as the red haired slumped into the chair. "You look so tire, Allen-chan. You didn't get enough sleep?"

Lavi was surprisingly very energetic.

Allen slowly turned his head to the man and he smiled, his cheeks were shallow and there were dark circles under his eyes. "Lenalee kept me awake until two in the morning..."

Sleepiness was now clouding Allen's mind, he was now thinking of collapsing here at the kitchen's floor just so he could get some sleep.

Lavi eyes impossibly widened, his cheeks were red. "Y-you t-two are like t-that?"

Allen's shallow face turned again to Lavi. "Like what?"

"N-nothing... ha... ha... D-don't mind me," the red haired awkwardly smiled as he slowly shook his head.

"Good mornin', guys!"

Alma entered the dining room and smiled at the two men. "We're going to pick strawberries this morning! Then we'll go boating in the river this afternoon. Whoah... So much activities to do!" she exclaimed as she smiled from ear to ear. "I hope we Lenalee will go with us. She looked angry yesterday... I wonder why?"

"_She's pissed at you because of your little stunt yesterday,"_Allen and Lavi both thought as they avoided the woman's questioning eyes.

"You know why, Allen?" she looked at Allen then turned to Lavi. "How about you, Lavi?"

They both gulped and shook their head at the same time.

"No, I don't have a tiniest idea."

"Nope. No Idea. Really. Ha... Ha..."

The door suddenly opened. Allen saw Kanda walked through the door and his breathe suddenly hitched when he looked at him.

He wondered what the man was thinking right now.

"How about you, Yuu?" Alma asked the long haired man, her eyes were following her boyfriend's moves.

"Who cares about that woman?" Kanda deadpanned as he opened the fridge and pulled out a box of milk. He probably overheard their conversation.

Allen watched the man empty the whole carton, an old memory was now crawling back in his mind.

"_You love milk, Kanda-kun?"_

_Allen and he cringed when a pair of sharp eyes suddenly stared at him._

"_Yeah, so what? You got a problem with that?"_

_Allen shook his head as he tried to calm his furiously beating heart. He wondered why he was always nervous whenever Kanda was near him._

"_N-no. I just n-noticed that you always drink that after meal," Allen said as he looked away._

_Kanda's eyebrows twitched but didn't say anything else. Then after a while, he spoke, a mischievous light was glinting on his eyes._

"_Why, moyashi? You don't like drinking milk, don't you?"_

_A red blush crept on his face. He stood and shouted at the older kid while his arms were horrendously flailing at both sides. "No! I like drinking milk!"_

_Kanda shouted so hard that Kanda was sure almost all the people walking in the street that day heard it._

"_That is why you're so small!"_

_Kanda laughed so hard that day._

_Allen remembered that that was probably the first time he heard Kanda laughed._

"Stop staring at my milk, moyashi. You look creepy. If you badly want one, there's a lot here. Go get yourself one."

Allen was suddenly woken up from his stupor.

Kanda was intently staring at him. Again.

Allen tried to cover his spacing with a smile. "Sorry. I'll go get one. If you don't mind."

He walked towards the fridge and got a small carton of milk.

"You looked like shit, moyashi," he heard Kanda commented as he walked away.

He knew that Alma and Lavi were staring at him.

Allen just smiled.

_Yeah. I probably really looked like shit, Kanda..._

He drank the milk straight from the carton like Kanda did. He was thinking about the intense glances he was receiving from the long haired man that he didn't notice that he was drinking too fast. He gagged a little and coughed the milk that got into his nose.

Lavi laughed and Alma immediately went to his side and wiped the spilling milk into my mouth. Allen winced at the situation. He was sure that he looked pretty un-cool right now.

"What the hell are you doin' Allen-chan? You planning on drowning on milk, man?" The red haired roared again when Allen coughed as he tried to speak.

Allen smiled when his chest recovered. Really, that was really uncalled for.

"Are you alright, Allen?" Alma asked, a small smile was adorning his lips. She was probably containing her smiles.

Allen gave her thumbs up and grinned. "It will take more than that to kill me, don't worry."

Lavi was now banging the table because of continuous laughing. That was when Lenalee entered the dining room, aghast when she saw Lavi almost rolling on the floor.

"What the hell happened here? The wastrel finally snaps?" She asked Alma.

Allen just smiled while Alma almost choked on laughing.

Lenalee looked dubious.

"What hell's happening with you, people?"

**TBC**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> now, I should have been working with my other fics right now and not writing another NEW STORY again, but I JUST CAN'T GET THIS IDEA OUT OF MY F***KING HEAD! argh! This was meant to be a Oneshot but I realized that It was just too damn long and I decided to split it into two or three chapters. If many of you will like this story and hope to read more, then I'll continue writing this, then by all means.

Don't worry; I'll update my other fics maybe next week or the week after that. For now, just let me write this one. Thanks for reading.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own DGM.

**Warning:**uNBETA'ed.

* * *

><p><em>I fear that I'm going to be alone for the rest of my life...<em>

_And I don't want to settle in order not to be._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

* * *

><p>"So, this is the river you talking about?" Lenalee asked, her eyebrows were almost touching one another. The five of them were now gathering at the side of the river and Alma was the most excited. She was hopping in their way there and Allen couldn't help but noticed how Kanda was always holding her hand.<p>

Allen was trying to avert his eyes from the scene, trying so hard to keep himself from looking, but if you like someone, he guessed that you couldn't really take away your eyes from that person. Your eyes would involuntarily search for him amidst the crowd.

"This river looks deep," Lenalee commented as she inspected the water. "Are there many people who visit here?"

Alma shook her head as she turned to Lenalee.

"It's rare to see people here. This place is a private property."

"I see... So if someone drowned here, no one will notice until they find the body?" She asked matter-of-factually.

Alma looked horrified. "D-don't say such t-things, Lena-chan..."

Lenalee just shrugged her shoulders.

Allen sighed as he headed to the van. He momentarily closed his eyes as he massaged his temple. It seemed like he would be having a headache this afternoon.

"Where are the boats?" Lavi peeked inside the car and he smiled widely when he saw Kanda carrying two inflatable kayaks.

"You're the best Yuu! I love inflatable kayaks! Where did you get this? Can I have one?"

Kanda glared at the bouncing red haired. "Shut up, Lavi and stop fucking calling me in my first name."

"Just one, Yuu! Please? Please? Pleasepleaseplease?"

Allen watched Kanda slammed an inflate d kayak into Lavi's face and sighed. He focused to his boat and continued pumping the air pump. He watched as the air gauge moved by the pressure. When he was sure that the kayak was ready, he called Lavi, who was now rolling (again) on the ground while clasping Kanda's left foot.

Kanda looked royally pissed.

"Oi, moyashi! Get this asshole out of my way, or I'll drown him myself!" the man shouted, while kicking Lavi in the face.

"I'd like to see you do that," Allen laughed as he picked Lavi on the ground, earning a howl of protest from the red haired.

"Stop pissing off Kanda, Lavi. What if you seriously annoyed him?"

Lavi pouted. "Yuu is a good person."

Allen smiled at that.

In his mind, he was thinking of the same thing.

..

* * *

><p>Alma was beyond excited the moment they launched the kayak to the shallow part of the river.<p>

"Are you guys ready?" The woman shouted as she giggled.

Allen cringed when the boat where Kanda and Alma were sitting rocked.

"Err... Alma? Can you not rock the boat?"

"_Sit down, sit down, you're rocking the boat!"_ Lavi sang as he bounced on his seat. "This is freaking fun! Thanks for inviting me, Yuu! I love you, man!"

"I didn't _fucking_ invite you, you worthless piece of shit."

"Why is he with me? I like to be with Allen!" Lenalee was certainly not amused to be paired up with her _crush_. "Will you stop moving, you fucking monkey?"

Allen sweated as he watched his friend murder the man. Maybe it was not a good idea to let them occupied the boat together?

There were three inflatable boats, but unfortunately, they were only two sitters so Allen had to occupy the other kayak alone. Lenalee was so against it, but they had no choice. He was not really a professional at this, but Allen knew a thing or two about boating. Lavi, on the other hand, was a total novice so Lenalee had no choice but to accompany him while Kanda was with Alma.

Lenalee looked ridiculously irritated.

Allen wanted to go along with Lavi but there was no way that he would leave Lenalee alone, no matter how good she was in boating. The water's current here, according to Kanda, was unpredictable so he didn't say yes when the woman asked her if she could be alone.

When she pointed at Kanda, the man scowled and said angrily; "You want me to leave Alma alone?" There was no way that he would leave his girlfriend alone in a boat to go together with Lavi.

Lavi irritated Kanda after all.

Lenalee looked like she just swallowed a pig.

"So, you mean, I _don't_ have a choice at this? You guys are very much aware that I don't really mind if this monkey dies, right?" She said, her nose was flaring, her first were trembling on her sides.

Lavi cowered in fright. His head frighteningly turned to the white haired man. "Forget about drowning, Allen! I'm sure I'll gonna die in her filthy hands!"

"Shut up! You're too fucking noisy!" Lenalee spat.

"You're the only woman I know that can cuss like a salor!"

"I don't care what the fuck you think!"

"Allen!" Lavi casted him a pitiable glance as he howled. Allen felt like drowning himself. He sighed as he paddled near the two. He glanced at Lenalee who was still scowling and he pinched her cheeks right after his boat got near to them.

"Stop acting like a child, please."

Lenalee glared at him.

"Please?"

She slapped his hands. Allen almost pouted on this.

Lenalee pointed her well-manicured finger at Lavi and shouted at the top of her lungs. "You better behave, you mutt!"

Allen smiled.

Kanda watched as Allen patted Lenalee's hair and the latter shouting profanities again. The white haired man just laughed at this while Lavi looked very much relieved.

He didn't notice Alma staring at him.

"Kanda?"

He blinked at her, surprised that he was actually watching the three quarreled and make a fool out of themselves.

He immediately recovered from the initial shock. "What?"

"You were looking at Allen again," Alma softly said as he held Kanda's arm.

Kanda's perfect poker facial expression wavered for a moment, and then hardened seconds after.

"I was looking at _them._"

Alma slowly shook her head, still staring at her boyfriend.

Kanda saw Lavi and Lenalee shook their hands in the presence of Allen. The irritating woman was again flailing like an idiot while Lavi was again, well, acting like the idiot he was.

"No. You were looking at him just now. I could tell, and yesterday too. And the day he went to your apartment, remember? You were intently watching him that time too. Why, did you guys fight?"

Kanda sighed as he grabbed her girl friend's hands and squeezed it.

"No, we didn't," he curtly answered. He then began paddling taking their boat away from the three.

Allen saw Kanda rowed away from them. Lavi shouted, immediately paddling his paddle, causing Lenalee to fall to her sit.

"You stupid –! Be careful, jerk!"

"You're the one who's moving too much!"

"Shut up!"

Allen watched Kanda and Alma's boat moved away from him.

Slowly...

Lenalee suddenly turned her head at him.

"What the hell are you still waiting for, Walker?" She shouted, still looked pissed.

Allen blinked away his thoughts and started paddling to catch up to his friends.

"Coming."

..

* * *

><p>The boating finished quickly before they knew it. Seemed like Lavi and Lenalee enjoyed their time together. Well, kind of. They were no longer shouting at each other when they stepped out of their kayak but they weren't talking either. Allen just shrugged his shoulders at this. A tamed Lenalee was all he need right now. He could now feel his headache approaching faster than he expected. He massaged his temple again and closed his eyes.<p>

He felt so tired.

Allen sighed as he started walking with Lavi. The red haired asked him what was wrong at him but he just smiled. He saw Alma and Kanda arrived at the mansion first and neither of them was The way Kanda held Alma's hand as he lugged the woman towards the house didn't escape Allen's eyes. He was holding Alma in the gentlest way possible. As if the Kanda was afraid he would break her...

A flash of dizziness swarm in Allen's head as he walking at the stairs.

Shit. He was feeling really bad. Was it fever?

He tried to regain his balanced and trudged faster to his room.

_This is so uncool..._He whined as he bit his lips.

..

* * *

><p>"You're bullying Allen again, aren't you?"<p>

Kanda rubbed his temple. Alma was persistently asking him question about Allen. It seemed like she didn't believe him when he said that the two of them didn't fight. She was sprouting some nonsense like 'you kept on staring at him and you seemed like you wanted to say something'.

Hell, he wasn't even aware that he was staring at Allen. The white haired man's presence was one of the constant things in his life. He knew that he would be there every day.

Untiringly. Persistently.

Allen had always been with him since he was seventeen years old. He really didn't like him at first, but as time gone by, he saw a part of him that he never saw to his friends or to other people surrounding him.

He was kind. Sometimes, he was even too kind for his own good.

He would help until nothing was left to him.

And that was exactly the reason why sometimes, Kanda loathed Allen.

He hated the way Allen smiled, the way he talked to other people.

Kanda hated the way Allen hid his own problems.

He saw Allen as a suppressed being.

Allen was a sensible kid and he grew as young, fine man. If there was someone you could actually talk about problems, it was Allen. He wouldn't laugh, no matter how trivial your problem was, nor would he judge you for what you have done. He had always been like that.

He was his friend, no matter how much he denied it. Allen was like the air around Kanda. He knew that no matter what happened he would always be there.

For a moment, he stopped thinking. He wasn't even listening when Alma stood, still talking to him.

Then the he felt the time froze and his eyes widened.

Kanda was suddenly stunned at his thoughts.

He watched his girlfriend flicked her fingers on his hair but he didn't feel anything. He was too stunned to understand what the hell was going on in his world and all because one single thought – Allen.

"Kanda!"

He flinched at the voice. He looked at the worried face of his girlfriend and grabbed her, burying his face on her locks. His eyes remained opened, he was afraid to close them. He was afraid to thoroughly understand his thoughts. What the heck was happening?

"K-Kanda?" He heard Alma asked, but he remained still. He touched her back in soothing motions and he heard her sigh.

"So, you two really fight then," she said with so much conviction. Kanda couldn't even shake his head. He was still thinking about his thoughts and he was still lost.

Then he spoke; "No. We did not."

"Why are you acting like this, then?"

"Am I not allowed to embrace my fiancée?"

Alma's body stiffened.

Kanda almost chuckled.

"What? Don't die on me yet," he teased the girl.

Kanda felt her trembling. He wrapped his arms on her body and felt the fast beating of her heart.

"W-what do you mean?" Alma stuttered, obviously trying to sound composed.

"Exactly what I said."

He heard Alma sobbed and Kanda smiled. He loved this girl – that was all he knew. Thoughts of Allen were just clouding his mind because he knew that he had been a very good to him. He still didn't understand what Allen was to him but he knew that it was worthless to think of him when he was proposing to her girlfriend.

He was just a friend, after all.

He didn't want to think that he pitied him all this time. But it seemed like it was the case. That's why he let him stayed. That's why he let him stick to him.

That's why he gave him a spare key to his apartment.

He pitied Allen Walker.

It sounded so wrong, but somehow, that was all felt whenever he saw Allen.

And then that particular day happened.

_I like you._

Allen told him he liked him and he wished he hadn't. It was easier that way. It was always easy to pretend you never noticed.

That you never knew.

Then he thought of Lavi. He was one of his friends too. Like Alma, Lavi grew alongside him in London when Kanda and his family first migrated here.

They were childhood friends and he knew him longer than Allen.

He was a close friend too.

A nuisance, alright, but he was still a friend.

Allen was just like Lavi. Lavi was just like Allen.

They were both there, but it really didn't matter to Kanda.

They were friends, yes, but there were more important things.

Way more important than friends, than Allen.

One of those important things was now in front of him.

"A-are you s-sure, Kanda? You're n-not kidding, right?" Alma voiced out, her face was now buried to Kanda's neck and he could feel her slow breaths caressing his neckline.

"Am I the type to kid around?" He huskily asked, his lips were travelling to the crook of her neck.

He heard Alma gasped.

Kanda smiled and stopped teasing.

"So, what's your answer?" He asked.

"Of course, yes, you idiot!"

..

* * *

><p>Lavi was happily strolling his way to the kitchen when he saw Allen running through the corridor. His couldn't properly see his eyes because his hair was hiding the half of his face. Geez, Allen already need a haircut! He looked so emo with all those hair on his face.<p>

"Hey, Allen! Where are you going? Wanna grab something to eat?" Lavi called to him but he received to reply. The white haired man didn't stop nor did he spare Lavi a glance to acknowledge him.

Lavi blinked.

"What the hell was happening?" He asked to himself while scratching his head.

..

* * *

><p>"EEEhhh... Boating again?" Lavi whined as he crabbily looked at the boats in front of him. "We've been boating since we got here. How about we try mountain climbing, guys?"<p>

No one answered.

Allen, Lenalee, Alma and Kanda just stared at him like Lavi was some kind of a talking pest.

Lavi stomped his feet; pouting.

"We'll try another route today," Alma cheerfully said as she arranged her shirt. "It'll be fun to explore the river then watch the sun set." She was smiling nonstop since breakfast and it was as if a light was following her every step.

"You mean, we'll be boating until then?" Lenalee asked, her eyes were roaming in the place. There were so many fallen leaves everywhere and she felt like walking in a carpet made out leaves.

"Yes, Lena-chan. But don't worry about the lights. We'll be out of the water before it becomes dark. So that was the time limit. Reach the next stop before the sun set," she excitedly explained as she looked at the horizon.

It was already five in the afternoon.

Lenalee didn't answer and instead stared at Alma.

Alma blushed as she tried to look away. Maybe she was too obvious?

"You're too happy today, you know," Lenalee said. She had a hunch why, but she wanted to be sure. She wanted to hear it straight from Alma or Kanda. And right now, Alma was the easiest person to squeeze for a little news.

As if there a way that Kanda would give him some information.

Then she remembered Allen.

_Shit. Me and my big mouth!_

Alma was about to answer her when Lenalee butted in.

"Oh! I remember something!" She exclaimed loudly and laughed. "There was something I need to confirm before we go back to the city."

Alma blinked a few times then tilted her head, "W-what is it?"

"I want to know if a koi that's as old as a ginkgo tree is truly alive here!"

Alma's eyes widened. "Really? Wow... that must be a big one."

Lenalee smiled too enthusiastically as she nodded her head. "Yep! So let's go find that koi!"

Alma cheerfully nodded to Lenalee.

Lavi looked bemused. He looked at Kanda, wanting to ask if it was true only to be cut off with "Don't ask me, moron".

Lavi hooted. "You're so mean, Yuu!"

"Shut the fuck up."

It seemed like cute pouting really didn't work with Kanda.

But he really needed to talk!

If there was someone who could be easily swayed by a simple pouting, it was _him_.

"Hey, Allen!"

The white haired man turned to him. "Yeah?"

Lavi smiled.

"Yuu-chan said he loves you!" he exclaimed, grinning, but the response he was expecting from the two wasn't the one he got.

Lavi didn't know what really happened, but Allen looked like a lightning strike him and before he could turn to see Kanda, a knuckle had already connected to his face, violently throwing him to the ground.

"FUCKING SHUT UP, LAVI," Kanda growled as he trembled in fury while watching the red haired wiped his bloody nose.

Allen immediately tended Lavi, his while locks were nearly hiding his face.

Lavi couldn't really understand what was happening, but he could feel that Allen was trembling while he was wiping his bloody face with a white handkerchief.

He looked at Kanda and all he could see was anger.

"Shut your trap if you don't want me to kill you. I am not a fucking gay, so don't lump me with that fag," Kanda furiously spat and turned his back to them.

Lavi blinked a few times, discerning what Kanda had said. Then his eyes widened in understanding. Of course. Why didn't he see it before? He had a hunch before but he really didn't pay attention to it. He didn't care if Allen's swinging that way, or something because he was his friend and Allen had always been a good friend to him.

It was like an unspoken understanding between him, Lenalee, and Allen, though he was not sure about Alma and Yuu before.

And what's with Kanda's reaction?

Lavi wiped his nose with the back of his hand; eyes were trying to look anywhere but Allen. It was awkward to finally hear about it.

Allen was a friend and he knew that something was weird about him.

He was not a homophobic, but it was something that Lavi would rather not talk about. It wasn't like he was the only one who thinks like that. Being gay wasn't normal after all. It was something that people never really talked about. Yeah, it was there, there were people who were gays and lesbians and all, and people never questioned it – some were but that wasn't the point. The point was, it was something that people–friends don't talk to each other. It was hella awkward. Allen was his friend, yeah, but Lavi was still a man and having a gay friend wasn't really something that he could brag to the world.

Allen, head still bowed, murmured something then he was gone.

Lavi looked up but all he could see was Allen's back retreating to the mansion, his last word was still ringing on his ears;

'_I'm sorry.'_

Lavi couldn't help but feel guilty about not talking. But what could he say? That it's okay and he knew Allen was gay anyway and that he was okay about it and smile like the fact didn't disturb him at all?

"Shit."

**TBC**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:**I do not own -Man.

**Warnings:** Unbeta'ed. Awkward grammar, yada... yada... yada...

* * *

><p>"<em>People are disturbed not by things, but by the view they take of them."<em>

– **Epictetus**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

* * *

><p>Kanda was pissed. It wasn't because of Lavi or Allen, but of himself and how he reacted to an innocent coaxing of the red haired. There wasn't anything strange and new about Lavi's behavior because he used to do that all the time – to tease anyone who was in his vicinity – and it was all for fun. Even a 'stuck-up prick' like him knew that. But he just had to react like what Lavi said had struck something inside him and that was pissing Kanda off. He fucking reacted to Lavi's teasing – <em>strongly<em>reacted even. And he deliberately insulted Allen.

Kanda clenched his fist.

He downright insulted him. Kanda struck Allen where it hurt the most.

He didn't exactly care about the white haired's opinion about him and the things that he says, but, really, the insult was uncalled for. He spat something he really didn't intend to say and no matter how much he denied it, he was beginning to regret what he had said a while ago.

He saw Alma approaching and he tried to calm his emotions. Alma didn't need to know what had happened. He certainly wouldn't let her know that a certain male was beginning to cloud his mind and his judgment.

"Hey," Alma called. "We're having barbecue tonight. We need some extra help at the backyard. We couldn't see Lavi nor Allen so I decided to call you. Seriously, where are those two?"

"I don't know. Maybe they went to the woods to gather some woods. I told them it will be chilly tonight."

"Wow! That was great! I mean, I'm planning on having a barbecue party tonight and a small bonfire would be absolutely great! Maybe I should bring out the comforters? What do you think?"

"It's great."

Alma stared at Kanda. "You're kinda strange today. You were too easy to wheedle. Something happened?"

Kanda was thrown off balance. He really didn't know what to say to that. Inside, he was curding Alma's keen observation skills. He really didn't need it right now.

"Tired, I guess?" He managed to say, the calmness of his voice was so far away from the chaos secretly happening inside his mind. "And what do you mean 'easy to wheedle'? Am I that disagreeable?"

Alma chuckled. "I didn't say anything like that. Stop putting words in my mouth."

"You're kind of implying it."

"You're so childish, Yuu."

Kanda moved and grabbed Alma's petite body with one swoop of his right arm. "Yeah, right," he said as he planted a small kiss right on Alma's hair. "Let's go and finish the extra work you have for me, your majesty."

The woman blushed and stared at the ground. "O-okay."

At the back of Kanda's mind, the blushing face of Alma overlapped with Allen's flushed face. The only difference was that Allen's face was flushed because of shame.

Something tugged inside Kanda's chest, leaving a sour aftertaste in his mouth.

He didn't like it a bit.

..

* * *

><p>The barbecue party was a success. Allen showed a little bit late and he earned an earful from both Lenalee and Alma. He was laughing and the two girls didn't notice anything amiss. In their eyes, Allen was acting perfectly normal. But Kanda and Lavi knew better.<p>

All throughout the night, Lavi was trying not to meet Allen's eyes while Kanda was itching for Allen to look at him which he did not do for the rest of the night. Kanda was cursing inside as he watched Allen laugh with Alma and Lenalee like nothing happened just this afternoon and for some strange reason, it was pissing him off.

He drank the last drop of beer on his can and threw it the empty tin in a near trash bin. He stood up and slowly walked to the cooler near him and picked up another can which he opened right away. He resumed his watch to the white haired man and his eyes narrowed when he saw that Allen was drinking his beer way too fast. Clear proof of this was the number of slowly accumulating empty cans beside him. He looked at Lenalee and Alma and growled when he realized that the two were too absorbed on their debate to notice Allen leisurely drowning himself. He knew that Allen was never good in handling his liquor. He slowly walked towards the three and Allen, for the first time since they had started their little barbecue party, looked up at him, his face was badly flushed because of alcohol. His ashen eyes were naively clear.

"You're drinking too much, moyashi," he callously said as he yanked the smaller man's arms. "Don't cause trouble to Alma and me, dumbass."

And then Kanda noticed the unusual warmth of Allen's arm – like he was burning up with fever.

His eyes widened when Allen's eyes slowly lost its focus and fell hard on the ground. If he wasn't holding his right arm, he would probably lay flat on the floor.

"Allen!"

..

* * *

><p>"The monkey's quite silent tonight, huh."<p>

Allen stared at his friend and with a playful tone, he said, "Are you worried about him?"

Alma and Allen chuckled when Lenalee became so beet red.

"The hell I'm worrying about that monkey-brain asshole!" she shouted as she stood up and went to the grill.

"Lenalee was so easy to read."

Allen looked at Alma, then to the sky above him. "She's just having a problem admitting it to herself."

Alma nodded. "Well, it is not really easy to admit those kinds of things after all," she chuckled again. "It's hard to submit especially if you aren't even sure yourself in the first place. The first hurdle that you should overcome is a battle between you and your ego."

Allen remained silent but he would occasionally nod to Alma. A few minutes later, Lenalee was walking towards them again, holding a plate full of barbecues on her hands.

She sat on the ground again and lifted a few bottles of beer from a nearby cooler and opened one. "Evenings like these are the best," Lenalee exclaimed as she gulped straight from the can much to Alma's chagrin. "I wonder if we can still dine out tomorrow."

Alma gently flicked her fingers on Lenalee's forehead and chastised her about women etiquettes.

And so began their until-dawn-banter of what's right and wrong.

Allen decided to walk a little and settled under a small tree near the two women.

He opened a can of beer too and gulped it slowly while watching Alma and Lenalee squabbled with each other. He tasted the pungent flavor of the beer but he openly welcomed it. One can of beer become two, three, four, and eight... until Allen couldn't even tell how many cans of beer he had. He just kept on drinking until he couldn't feel his lips and arms anymore and Lenalee and Alma's voice at the background slowly drifted away.

He could still see them but he could no longer hear and understand what they were saying.

Allen smiled; knowing that the pain inside him was slowly ebbing away.

He didn't notice Kanda right away, who was now only inches away from the ground he was sitting. He only looked up when something brushed on his right hand and found out that it was shoes. A few seconds later, he heard a voice with a blaringly tone spoke; "You're drinking too much, moyashi. Don't cause trouble to Alma and me, dumbass."

Speaking of the devil.

**..**

* * *

><p>Lavi watched the scene in bewilderment.<p>

The first thing that Lavi asked himself when he saw Kanda walked towards where Allen was slumped was 'Why does Kanda have to pretend that he cares?'. Kanda could have easily ignored Allen like what Lavi was doing since this evening–even though he was doing it for entirely different reason. But why did Kanda have to go to him and act like he said nothing painful this afternoon?

He watched Kanda pulled Allen's arms like it was just a piece of twig that Lavi almost cringed.

Well, maybe Kanda really didn't care about Allen after all...

And then the next he knew was Kanda shouting Allen's name and Allen's body was dangling from Kanda's firm hold.

Lavi almost fell flat on the ground too when he hurriedly stood to go to Allen and unfortunately tripped. He cussed as he sprinted again. He didn't even try to get his shoes lying beside him and ran barefooted to Kanda who was now slowly shaking Allen's face.

"What happened?" Lavi asked as he unwrapped the bandana that he was wearing on his head and laid it under Allen's head. He felt the unusual heat radiating from Allen's body.

"He was burning up," Kanda said, gritting his teeth. "He fucking surprised me, this idiot."

Lavi grimaced when he noticed the pool of empty cans on his feet. "H-he drank all of these?"

Alma and Lenalee were panting as they ran towards the scene; their faces were contorted with concern.

"What the hell happened?"

"What happened to him, Yuu?"

"Fever," was all Kanda said to them as he slowly scooped the limp body of Allen. He caught the stunned expression of Lavi as he carried the pale man away from the place.

_Don't think._Kanda muttered to himself, feeling the almost weightless body of Allen on his arms.

On his hands, he could feel Allen slowly breathing. It was ricocheting in the air and somehow, the warm air coming from the white haired man's mouth was relaxing his tensed muscles.

_Just don't think..._ he repeated as if muttering a mantra. In times like this, he didn't need to think, that was what he believed.

Allen was still his friend after all.

He didn't need any reasons for helping a friend.

Not now. Not ever.

..

* * *

><p>"Fever, indeed. How come he got sick while the rest of us did not?" Lenalee asked. The woman insisted to come and see Allen inside his room after Kanda set downed Allen on his bed, much to Kanda's annoyance. After they cleaned up their mess, everybody gathered in the common room of the mansion. Kanda still wasn't around though.<p>

Alma looked troubled. She kept on glancing upstairs. "Maybe we pushed him a little too far? I've heard Allen wasn't really good with trips like this."

Lavi remained quiet throughout the conversation which fueled Lenalee's hunch more. She was thinking that Lavi had something to do with today's event and that Kanda's kind action that night was a mere act of a man guilty of his crime. Lenalee was sure that it was not just a sudden impulse to help a long-time friend whose mind he had always been fucking since time immemorial.

She looked at Lavi and under her scrutinizing gaze, she knew that red haired felt someone staring at his back and his only mistake that gave him away was the time he succumb to his curiosity and glanced at the person sitting in front of him.

Lenalee was almost scorching in rage.

Lavi visibly flinched and Alma noticed this.

"Are you alright, Lavi?"

Lavi forced his face to smile, "Yeah. Just kind of cold. That's all."

Alma sighed as she stood. "Maybe we should just rest for tonight. I don't want any of you to get sick too."

Lenalee remained seated on her seat; her gaze was still following Lavi, then, she looked at Alma, "I'll stay here for a little while. I'll finish drinking this first," she grabbed the glass wine and showed it to the woman.

Alma nodded to her, "Good night, Lenalee-chan, Lavi-san."

Lenalee just nodded, not uttering any words.

Lavi looked like he wanted to dash upstairs and hide from the woman who was now murdering him in her mind.

Lenalee made sure that Alma was already out of sight when she dropped her glass and in a cold voice, spoke; "What the fucking hell did you guys do to Allen, huh?"

Lavi, who was now looking at his toes, tensed. "N-nothing. Really... I-It was just a simple joke and argument. Y-You know Yuu... He w-was just bad with jokes."

Lavi was suddenly startled when he heard a loud banging on the table. He looked up and saw Lenalee crunching the table mattress with her fist and Lavi felt a strong urge to just run and cut this conversation with Allen's most devoted friend.

There was just no way he could get out of this thing alive. Not with Lenalee slicing you with her every stares and poisoning you with her words.

Lavi gulped.

He would be dead in few seconds. Flat.

"Jokes, you say?" Lenalee muttered slowly, "I'm bad with jokes too, Lavi. Way more than Allen, just so you know. Now, tell me exactly what happened and maybe, _just maybe though_, I'll spare your life this night."

..

* * *

><p>If there was something Kanda didn't quite understand was the tiny fact that he couldn't totally cut his ties with Allen. If he could, he would have already done that a long time ago, back where this shitty relationship was not that solid yet, and where he could still easily throw Allen away like he did to all of his friends.<p>

It was much harder to do that now.

Kanda shook his head and closed his eyes. Allen was nothing but a pain the ass. He was an annoying pest that somehow found a way to his life, crawling like an annoying cockroach towards him. He hated how this person was making his life impossibly difficult. He was something that Kanda was not used to deal with. His caring persona, his unfaltering smiles, and his undying love for people and for everything. With Allen, Kanda's temperament was restricted. He couldn't fully move when Allen was involved and he felt fucking stupid holding back when the white haired man was around.

It was just not like him.

Kanda looked at the sleeping man tucked under the warm quilt and bit his lips. Was he feeling guilty by his words just this afternoon? Was that the reason why he offered his arms to Allen under the gazes of other people?

Damn. He didn't even know what to think.

He deemed Allen as a nuisance and he really didn't care what the fuck the albino head was thinking of him, but somehow, when he saw Allen smiled desolately while talking to Lenalee and Alma, obviously not listening anymore, and for a second, Kanda saw a face of the white haired man smiling scornfully at him.

Kanda felt something hard punched him on his gut and he hated Allen more in making him feel like that.

He stood and walked towards Allen on his bed, his towering body casted a shadow on that snowy hair and naive face. He lifted his hands and slowly wrapped them on that thin neck; his expression under the gloomy moon was unreadable.

He hated Allen as much as Allen loved him.

He hated his smiles.

He hated everything about this pretentious human who showered everyone with his kindness and yet, not even once asking for anything in return.

He hated Allen Walker and the way he make him feel so fucking tainted.

He slowly clenched his hands, feeling the soft texture of the neck on his palms.

* * *

><p><em>Often, it is the most deserving people who cannot help loving those who destroy them.<em>

–**Hermann Hesse**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>And finally, I am back. After not posting for three months (?) I deeply apologize. I was just busy thinking about things, and somehow, lack of inspiration forced me to go stagnant for a while. But hopefully, after buying books and DVD's (bought The Godfather, Sherlock Holmes, Star Wars.. etc. etc.) I was able to revive myself even for just a little. Thank you those people who reviewed while I was away chasing my ever-wandering mind.

**Yukirat**

**Kirkland**

**yuki-souma**

**lanjeli**

**Animeloverx175**

**AIKYO-says-hi**

**Alguien22792**

**Allena Moyashi Walker**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** Do not own. Period.

**Warning/s:** I have to beta so, yeah, awkward grammar.

**Author's Note:** Thank you so much for all those who read and reviewed. And sorry it took soooo long before I could finally update.

* * *

><p><strong>the rain before the storm<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

* * *

><p>It was raining so hard.<p>

Alma gloomily stared at the dancing leaves outside the manor; her face was contorted in blatant disappointment. They were supposed to go boating this afternoon. She was so excited to go today and then the weather just had to ruin their group's activity for that day.

Alma sighed.

What a letdown, she thought.

She was about to head to the kitchen when a loud bang was heard echoing from the garage. It was as if someone bashed a car with a baseball bat. Alma cringed but immediately flew to the place where she heard the sound came from. She could almost hear her heart beating inside her chest. What if it was a burglar? She nervously thought. She stopped for a while thinking of calling Yuu first. But she decided that she had to check what was sound first.

It could be just a cat, right?

She quickened her steps. He hastily opened the door to the garage. Then she stopped.

She widened her eyes when she saw Lenalee angrily shoving all of her luggage at the back of her car. She saw a worried Allen standing near the furious woman, obviously agitated.

"W-what's happening?" She asked. Lenalee looked so furious that she couldn't even attempt to walk towards her. Allen looked up to her and Alma saw him smiled – an awkward one – like he was apologizing for Lenalee's behavior. And for something she couldn't quite put a finger on.

"L-Lenalee?" She called to her. She cringed when she saw Lenalee shoving another luggage into the car's compartment. It was Allen's stuff.

"What's happening?" She asked again.

Allen sighed in the corner his hair hid his eyes. Lenalee, on the other hand, looked at her at last, her eyes were sharp, mad, and downright pissed. Her beautiful face was twisted in a snarl.

"I am going home. And I am taking Allen with me. Thanks for inviting us here, Alma."

Alma's mouth dropped.

"W-what?" She stepped forward, looking at Lenalee and then to Allen. "W-why? Did something happen?" Alma asked. Lenalee just continued coldly staring at her while Allen's face remained hidden underneath his white locks.

"Yeah," Lenalee grunted. "Something happened. But it was not your fault, so you really don't have to know." Lenalee pulled Allen's hand and dragged him inside the car. But when she was about the open the door, she halted. She looked back at Alma's shocked face and grimly said, "But if you really want to know, you can always ask your dear _boyfriend_." Lenalee arched her perfectly shaped eyebrows. "Though I doubt he will tell you anything," she spitted the words as if they were poisoned.

Alma remained confused. She knew that Lenalee and Yuu hated each other, but she didn't know that it was this bad. What really happened?

"W-wait, Lena-chan!" She exclaimed after recovering a little from the onslaught of her thoughts. She couldn't let this small thing ruin their vacation. She invited her friends here to relax, bond, and to enjoy. She wouldn't let Lenalee and Allen go home like this. She had to do something.

"I am so sorry. I-I don't know what happened, but I apologize for whatever Yuu has done. He isn't really that bad. He's just..." Alma struggled with the words. "Most of the time, he's just misunderstood." Alma looked Lenalee in the eyes, pleading. "Please, Lena... don't go. Not like this."

Lenalee stared at Alma.

Alma almost swallowed in nervousness. She hoped she convinced Lenalee to stay. She had to. She didn't want any of them to see Yuu as an antagonist. Not when the two of them were now engaged. She wanted her future husband and friends to get along. Lenalee was important to her. And so do Allen. They were all important to her that was why she was adamant in inviting them to this outing. It was for them. It was for them to see another side of Yuu that they didn't had the chance to know.

Yuu wasn't really just a grumpy man. He was just misunderstood. She knew because she had been with him since they were just kids. She knew him well. She knew who was Kanda Yuu and his dreams.

"Please, Lena..." Alma implored. She looked at Allen, too. Her eyes were pleading.

Allen looked away.

She heard Lenalee sighed.

"You don't understand, Alma..." Lenalee whispered, her eyes were looking at Allen. "You don't understand that's why you were able to say that."

Alma rutted her eyebrows in confusion. "Then tell me what's happening. That way, I'll understand, right? I want to understand."

When Lenalee opened her mouth again, Alma saw Allen stiffened from where he stood. His hands clenched at his sides.

She looked at Lenalee again, eager to listen. "Lena..."

Regrettably, the woman remained silent.

She just let out a sigh; her eyes were fixed at Allen, who, at that time, was not looking at any one of them, like he was afraid of something.

Lenalee wouldn't talk and Allen was ignoring her like she wasn't there.

Alma but his lips. She felt a tiny prickle of hurt pecked inside her heart.

Lenalee turned her back on Alma and dragged Allen along with her.

She watched the two entered the car and just like that, they were gone.

She looked up in the sky, and all she could see was a black curtain covering it all.

Her eyes watched the heavy pattering of the rain drops as they fell from the sky.

"_Dreams are your vehicle in life. They keep you afloat every time you think you couldn't go on anymore. A good friend of mine said this once," Lenalee chuckled as if she was remembering something funny. "But surprisingly, that idiot was one who needed more encouragement than anybody else. He was just too soft and kind for his own good." She looked at Alma with a bright smile, and lightly tapped her shoulders. "What about you? What are your dreams?"_

_Alma blinked away the stiffness she was feeling a while ago and tried to smile. "N-nothing... Really... I just want to finish college. That was all." Alma thought that it was futile for her to dream her dreams now. Her future was not hers anymore. It was long decided that she was to inherit her mother's business in the fashion world. She was also a model like Lenalee, but she loved literature. As she looked at her, Alma felt a sense of coldness inside her. She didn't belong here, and yet, here she was wasting her time doing something she didn't even want to do._

"_What's with that sad face?" Alma heard Lenalee laughed._

_Alma smiled but it didn't reach her eyes._

Alma let out a sigh.

Lenalee was her very first friend.

For Alma, Lenalee was everything she could never be. She made her realized her dreams and the importance of fighting for them.

And yet, she remained beyond reach and the gap between her and Lenalee was stretched even more when she met Alma's childhood friend, Kanda Yuu.

It started one night when Lenalee introduced Allen to them and it turned out that Yuu knew Allen. From then on, Lenalee started acting weird around Yuu.

She knew Lenalee and Allen were childhood friends, that they knew each other since time immemorial.

When Lenalee first got into an argument with Yuu Alma immediately knew that it had something to do with Allen.

That was the first time she saw Lenalee got angry like that.

It was then Alma realized how important the white haired young man to Lenalee.

It was saddening to finally realize that all these times, Lenalee didn't really see her as a friend.

She knew that for Lenalee, her friendship with Allen was way more important than their bond Alma was trying to keep together.

Alma was their friend, but it was so hard to be a friend to someone who couldn't see you as one.

..

* * *

><p>"We really didn't have to leave her like that, Lena..."<p>

Lenalee remained silent; her eyes were fixed on the road.

"She looked really hurt when you ignored her. Y-you could have explained what happened to her a-and–-"

"And what? Tell her that her bastard of a boyfriend tried to kill you last night?"

Allen's body became taut upon remembering the events of last night.

He heard Lenalee sighed and with a sad smile, she said, "You thought I was really going to tell her everything?"

"N-no. Of course not–-"

"I saw you stiffened. You always stiffened when you are afraid."

"Everybody stiffened when they're afraid."

Allen gulped as he tried to straigntened his back. It was aching. He looked at the road. It was still raining so hard. He wondered if it would ever stop today.

"You were afraid to let Alma know the truth and yet you accepted her invitation to this fucking retarded vacation," Lenalee continued. "I really don't know what you've seen in that bastard. He was a first class jerk. He was a monster in disguised! He could have killed you if I didn't come to your room last night!"

"Lenalee..."

"I can introduce my friends to you. They are all decent. Decent guys, Allen!"

"Lenalee!"

"They will never make you cry, I swear to fucking God they will never do that. Or if you want, you can try my female co-workers. I know you are a bi and–-"

"Will you listen to me first, Lenalee?"

"No! You listen to me!" Lenalee stomped on the brake so hard their car almost twirled on the fortunately empty street. Allen almost crashed his face on the windshield but didn't thanks to the seatbelt he was wearing.

"What the hell was that, Lenalee? Are you trying to get us killed?"

Allen watched Lenalee take back her tears, and with a heavy lump in his throat, he gulped, and slumped back on his seat.

His friend was hurting and it was all because of him.

"I-I'm sorry..." Allen whispered, his face was contorted into a miserable smile. "Everything right now... is just so complicated." He bit his lips and sigh. "Everything's kind of messy."

Lenalee watched Allen struggled to form the words to his mouth. She closed his eyes. "Is he..." she took a deep breath, "Is Kanda Yuu really worth all this shit?"

From the corner, Allen lifted his head and stared to Lenalee. When she stared at those soulful eyes, Lenalee understood everything again.

She understood everything again as if it was only yesterday when Allen first told her about _that_ story.

It was a very old story.

In a small voice, Allen muttered, "C-can we please go back now?"

Lenalee slumped on the seat and bumped her forehead on the steering wheel, her eyes tightly closed. "Don't blame if anything happens, you fucking idiot," she muttered, too. She was so tired that she didn't notice that it was the first time she lost an argument with Allen.

..

* * *

><p>Kanda remained impassive as Alma told them about the abrupt trip of Allen and Lenalee in the middle of a typhoon. Lavi, on the other hand, kept on fidgeting on his seat, worry was written all over his face. The rain outside was raging still. It seemed like it wouldn't stop for the next three hours. He was worried, but he couldn't voice his concern, not while Kanda was looking murderous.<p>

At times like this, Lavi couldn't help but be envious of Alma.

"What if the two of them get in an accident?" the woman worriedly said, her eyes were flickering back and forth on the door. "Lenalee was mad – I really don't know why, but I... she was mad and when she's like that, she tends to be rough and callous... and... she is the one driving." She looked at Kanda, her eyes were full of questions."She was angry about something. And she told me to ask you. What really happened?"

Kanda stayed silent.

Even Lavi couldn't guess what he was thinking at the moment. Kanda looked so cold and distant. These were their friends they were talking about. Alright, he knew that Lena and Kanda weren't really exactly friends, but Allen left, too, and yet Kanda looked as if he didn't care if something would happen to the white haired young man.

He never felt so appalling before.

"M-maybe we should follow them," Lavi said, his eyes were never meeting Kanda's. He was afraid of the distance that he was seeing on his eyes. It was as if he became an entirely different person just in one night.

"And what? Leave Alma alone here?" Kanda deadpanned, his eyes were boring into Lavi's countenance, pissed that the bunny wouldn't look on his way. "Why don't you go yourself since you're the one who suggested it?"

Lavi's teeth clenched. He was already about to stand up and snarl on Kanda when Alma spoke.

"I'm going with you guys."

Lavi saw Kanda's teeth clenched. His eyes became more dangerous than before. "Stop it, Alma. We're not going anywhere."

"But Allen and Lenalee could be in danger!"

"They're fine. Stop fretting about their safety like they are one-year-old infants!" Kanda shouted his last words that startled both Alma and Lavi. They had never seen Kanda so furious before and it made them frightened.

Alma was staring nervously at her boyfriend while Lavi was clenching and unclenching his fist, controlling his own temper.

"It's just rain. They won't die by it, believe me." Kanda continued, his voice was as placid as his expression.

..

* * *

><p>The rain that morning continued in the afternoon. Lenalee decided to stop driving for a while, pulling the car in a corner of the road.<p>

Allen watched the heavy rain washed the leaves on the road and heavy banging of the wind to the branches of the trees.

"Are you alright?" Lenalee asked Allen when she noticed his silence. "We haven't eaten since this morning. Hungry?"

Allen smiled at her and shook his head. "I'm fine. What about you?" He asked her in return. A small blush crept on Lenalee's cheeks as she hit Allen's shoulder.

"Baakaa. Don't worry about me, you idiot. I'm strong. You're the one who has fragile body, it's a good thing you wore a jacket today. It's getting freaking cold."

Allen winced at the tap. "Geez, it hurts, Lena..."

Lenalee just brushed it off with, "Oh stop it, you whiner."

Allen just laughed.

..

* * *

><p>Lenalee didn't know that she had fallen asleep. She stretched her arms that were now painfully numbed as her eyes looked at Allen. She had fallen asleep at the back of the car and Allen in the driver's seat. She smiled when she saw Allen's hood dangling on the seat and closed her eyes again. Allen must have fallen asleep, too. She looked outside and a chill crept onto her like a coat. It was still raining and it was already two in the afternoon. She had been sleeping for almost three hours now. She observed her stomach and oddly, she wasn't hungry anymore. Well, she couldn't say the same to for Allen. Knowing his stomach, Allen was now probably dreaming of tons and tons of food. With a smile, she cuddled the sweater she was wearing and tried to doze off again.<p>

..

* * *

><p><em>I need to find her. She's got to be here somewhere.<em>

The shadow ran fast towards the clearing where the river was near. The heavy rain poured on his head like thousand of needles but determination was plastered on his drenched face.

_I have to find her._

His soaked rubber shoes was making a loud thudding noise as he scampered on the woods. He was now breathing so hard. The wind was so cold on his drenched clothes and he could feel his knees shaking hard on the freezing onslaught.

He was shivering from so much cold but the uneasiness he was feeling in his heart was making his body numb.

He gritted his teeth; fist were clenching. It was not enough. He had to run faster than this. He needed to find her. He had to find her!

**TBC**

* * *

><p>"<em>Soon it began to drizzle for the second time that night. The drops grew heavier and became visible in the headlights of the cars. It was said by some of the police on the scene that God was crying for the girl in the garden. To others, it was only rain."<em>

― George Pelecanos,_**The Night Gardener**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I do not own DGM.

**Warning/s:**Awkward grammar. Unbeta'ed.

**Author's Note: **Buckle up.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

* * *

><p>'<em>I need to find her. She's got to be here somewhere.'<em>

_The shadow ran fast towards the clearing where the river was near. The heavy rain poured on his head like thousand of needles but determination was plastered on his drenched face._

'_I have to find her.'_

_His soaked rubber shoes was making a loud thudding noise as he scampered on the woods. He was now breathing so hard. The wind was so cold on his drenched clothes and he could feel his knees shaking hard on the freezing onslaught._

_He was shivering from so much cold but the uneasiness he was feeling in his heart was making his body numb._

_He gritted his teeth; fist were clenching. It was not enough. He had to run faster than this. He needed to find her. He had to find her!_

..

* * *

><p>A loud thumping woke up Lenalee from her slumber. She blinked her eyes in effort to wash away the remnants of sleep that was still veiling her mind. She yawned and stretched a little and as she opened her eyes, the drenched and worried look of Lavi mouthing the words 'open the door!' assailed her on the car's window.<p>

Lenalee almost fell on the car's floor.

When she regained her footing, she immediately opened the door and let the red haired in. "What happened? Why are you here?"

Shivering, Lavi said, "Alma left. S-she said she'll going to find you two." He gulped as if choosing his words wisely. "Kanda said no, and then the next thing we knew, she wasn't there anymore."

Lenalee couldn't believe what he said.

Moreover, she couldn't help but loath Kanda more by his words. The man was really as cold as the ice.

Ignoring the anger slowly rising on her, she decided to ask Lavi more about the situation at hand.

"Did she bring her phone?" Lenalee asked, her eyebrows were knitted in worry. "Or a car. Did she go out using Kanda's car?"

Lavi shook his head. "No. B-But I think she brought her phone. We couldn't find it in the rest house when we tried to call her." Then, he stared at her as if he remembered something. "Where's Allen?"

Lenalee blinked and pointed the front seat of the car and said, "Over there –"but halted when she realized that the seat in front was eerily vacant. She scampered in front to prove it with her own eyes and her mouth almost dropped when she only saw Allen's jacket.

But before she fell asleep again, she was so sure that Allen was there and –

Lenalee gulped.

"Where's Allen?" Lavi asked her again.

"I don't know. I thought... I thought he was here."

"What do you mean?"

"I fell asleep. We both fell asleep – or that was what I thought," she bit her lips. "Where did that moron go?" he muttered to herself.

Lavi creased his eyebrows. "You mean he wasn't with you?"

"We left the rest house together, stupid," Lenalee snarled at him. "We decided to stop for a while because of the rain. It's dangerous to drive in zero visibility."

"So, where is Allen?"

Lenalee exploded. "I don't know! I was asleep! I thought he was here," she pointed the front seat, snarling, "I thought he was sleeping, alright?"

A worried look crossed on Lavi's face. "How about his phone?"

She was still furious and she was starting to get worried, too. "Why?" She asked.

"Call him," Lavi ordered.

Lanalee almost rolled his eyes, but stopped herself. They had to find Allen first.

And Alma.

"Geez! Why am I friends with you guys?" Lenalee asked in exasperation.

Lavi smiled,"Because we rock."

Lenalee impassively stared at her.

"Pardon. Let me correct myself; 'Why am I friends with those two?' Lenalee deadpanned as she stared searching for her phone inside her shoulder bag.

Lavi just smirked and scratched his head. "Alright. Alright. _Sorry_." he said.

..

* * *

><p>Kanda was gripping the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles were now starting to hurt. He lessened his hold and harshly sighed when he realized that he was driving for almost an hour now in circles.<p>

He couldn't fucking believe that Alma would leave without saying anything.

He gritted his teeth when he remembered the reason why all of this was happening.

Allen Walker.

Darkness loomed Kanda's face as he remembered the white haired man.

Allen was beginning to be a nuisance to his life.

He looked above and relief washed over him when he saw that the rain was now slowly subsiding. He could now drive faster to look for Alma.

He just wished that Alma was alright wherever she was right now.

Kanda stepped on the accelerator and the car dashed on the road.

Allen should pray that he found Alma unscathed.

Because if there was really something bad that happened to her, Kanda would forget that he was once his friend.

All Kanda could hear right now was the loud and fast beating of his heart.

The low pattering of the rain was gradually washing the afternoon's hazy weather. And somewhere in the forest, a louder beating could be heard echoing in the woods and resonating with every trees and stones. It was as if the rain was trying to console the battered soul that was mutely weeping for help, and lamenting for the incoming onslaught of darkness.

..

Inside Kanda's bag, an old, almost tattered wrist watch broke.

**TBC**

* * *

><p><em>"When you're different,<em>

_sometimes you don't see the millions of people who accept you for what you are._

_All you notice is the person who doesn't."_

— Jodi Picoult, _**Change of Heart**_


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I do not own DGM.

**Warning/s:** Unbeta'ed. Awkward grammar.

* * *

><p><em>"The beauty of things is that they must end."<em>

— Jack Kerouac, _Tristessa_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>September 4, 2007<strong>

**5:05pm**

_The wind felt like it was crushing him._

_It was terribly cold._

_And he was afraid._

_He was—_

_So afraid..._

_He closed his eyes._

"_**Allen!"**_

_That was when he heard Kanda's voice again, echoing inside his mind. It sounded so caring, worried—_

_Allen smiled grew._

_At least, before he end everything—_

..

* * *

><p><strong>September 4, 2007<strong>

**4:35pm**

"Is he answering his phone?" Lavi asked, clearly worried.

Lenalee shook her head before starting the engine of her car. "I'm sure he brought it when he left," she said before darkly muttering, "That stupid, stupid boy".

"Alma isn't answering her phone, too."

They both stared on the road; their minds were racing on all the possibilities.

"Why don't you call your friend?" Lenalee asked, her voice was dripping with sarcasm. "Maybe he already found Alma and he was just being a jerk."

"Yuu would inform me if that's true."

Lenalee glared at Lavi. "He's a jerk! He is a lying bastard and he is a first class asshole! Why can't you all see that?!"

Lavi just sighed.

_Whack._

"OUCH! What the hell was that for?!" Lavi cried as he held his head.

"You men really pissed me off," Lenalee darkly exclaimed as he put her foot on the accelerator.

..

* * *

><p><strong>September 4, 2007<strong>

**3:50pm**

_'I need to find her. She's got to be here somewhere.'_

The shadow ran fast towards the clearing where the river was near. The heavy rain poured on his head like thousand of needles but determination was plastered on his drenched face.

_'I have to find her.'_

His soaked rubber shoes was making a loud thudding noise as he scampered on the woods. He was now breathing so hard. The wind was so cold on his drenched clothes and he could feel his knees shaking hard on the freezing onslaught.

He was shivering from so much cold but the uneasiness he was feeling in his heart was making his body numb.

He gritted his teeth; fist were clenching. It was not enough. He had to run faster than this. He needed to find her. He had to find her!

Allen was dashed to the forest when he received a call from Alma twenty minutes ago.

"_Please, Allen... Go back... I don't want you guys to leave..."_

_Allen laughed. "Don't worry. I already convinced Lenalee to go back to the mansion. But we decided to rest for a bit and wait for the rain to stop. It's kind of dangerous to drive when it's raining this hard," he said._

_There was a pregnant silence on the other line._

"_Hello? What happened?" he asked. He looked at Lenalee who was still sleeping at the back of the car and he decided not to disturb her anymore. He opened the door of the car and went outside._

_He looked at the dark sky. Thank God it wasn't raining anymore._

_He needed to wake Lenalee up after this call. They had to drive back now or else the rain might pour again after an hour now._

_Then, Allen's eyebrows scrunched. He thought he heard a sound of water gushing over the phone..._

"_Hello? Alma?"_

"_Oh my god..." Allen heard her cry out. Allen was immediately alarmed. Alma sounded so afraid..._

"_Hello? What happened?"_

"_I took out a K-kayak... and I sailed..."_

_Allen felt cold. "W-what?"_

_She started crying._

"_There is… there is a shortcut at the end of this river to the main road and I thought I could c-catch up with you guys if I take t-this route…"_

"_But you know that it's dangerous!" he exclaimed, somewhat angry. "Why did you do that?!"_

"_I-I am s-so sorry..."_

"_Where's Kanda? Is he with you?" Allen so praying that he was..._

_But then nothing was going the way he wanted it to._

"_He didn't k-know..."_

_Allen went absolutely cold._

"_Don't move there. Stop sailing... NOW!" he shouted, terribly afraid now. He remembered a particular conversation between Alma and Lenalee the first time they sailed on that river a week ago._

'_"This river looks deep," Lenalee commented as she inspected the water. "Are there many people who visit here?"_

_Alma shook her head as she turned to Lenalee._

_"It's rare to see people here. This place is a private property."_

_"I see... So if someone drowned here, no one will notice until they find the body?" She asked matter-of-factually._

_Alma looked horrified. "D-don't say such t-things, Lena-chan..."_

_Lenalee just shrugged her shoulders.'_

Allen shivered.

It was raining again.

_.._

* * *

><p><strong>September 4, 2007<strong>

**3:20pm**

Alma's mind was in utter chaos. The water current in the river was getting her so nervous. It was banging the kayak she was using and it was putting her on edge. She had been rowing nonstop for fifteen minutes now, trying to get the kayak on the land along the border of the river but the water kept on washing her away from the shore.

She had been trying to call Allen and Lenalee's number but they weren't answering her calls. She bit her lips and suppressed the tears that were now threatening to fall from her eyes any second now.

She was ignoring Yuu's calls for an hour now. She knew that he wouldn't let her sail in this kind of weather.

Lavi was calling her, too, but she ignored it all.

She knew it was dangerous. But maybe, if Lenalee found out what she had done to reach them, maybe_—_

_Just maybe—_

She could let the woman know how much their friendship meant to her.

She just had to make sure that they know she was following them and she had no intention of going back without them.

Alma hardened her disposition and tried paddling again.

It wasn't raining anymore but she knew that it wasn't over yet.

The sky still looked so dark and it was terrifying Alma.

She glanced on her phone and when she was sure that the water had somehow calmed, she dialed Lenalee's number again, hoping that she would now pick it up.

_Sorry, the number you have dialed is temporary unavailable. Please try—_

She pushed the end button and tried calling again.

_Sorry, the number you have dialed is tempora—_

"Damn it! Please answer Lenalee!" she cried, frustration was crawling up on her.

She then tried calling Allen's number_—_hoping he would answer.

Alma almost cried when she heard Allen's soft voice on the line…

"_Alma?"_she heard him say.

Cold and afraid, Alma couldn't hold her tears anymore.

"Allen…" she sobbed as she begged the man to please return to the mansion again.

"Please, Allen... Go back... I don't want you guys to leave..."

She heard Allen chuckled.

"_Don't worry. I already convinced Lenalee to go back to the mansion. But we decided to rest for a bit and wait for the rain to stop. It's kind of dangerous to drive when it's raining this hard."_

Alma widened her eyes when she heard those words, a smile adorned her lips.

They were going back! They were_—_

Then, she saw the absurdity of her action.

There was an incoming storm and… and sailing at this kind of weather was kind of…

She gasped.

"_Hello? Alma?"_

"Oh my god..." she exclaimed. Fear was now slowly numbing her senses.

"_Hello? What happened?"_

Yuu was surely worrying about her right now.

She looked at the water's current and shivered when she noticed that she was now going too fast even without the help of the paddle.

She clipped her phone between her cheeks and her shoulder.

She had to get the kayak on the shore now! She tried paddling again but the water's current was just too strong.

"_Hello? What happened?"_

She could hear Allen panicking on the other line and it somehow woke her up.

It would be raining again… She had to go out of the water before that happens.

"I took out a k-kayak... and I sailed..." she explained. She held the phone again as she watch the sky turned gray. Her hands began to tremble.

She was afraid_—_

"_W-what?"_

Alma started crying.

She was so afraid_—_

"There is… there is a shortcut at the end of this river to the main road and I thought I could c-catch up with you guys if I take t-this route…" she said as she sobbed.

She tried grabbing the paddle again and row but her hands were just trembling so hard.

_I need to go out of the water!_

"_But you know that it's dangerous! Why did you do that?!"_ Allen shouted at her, clearly not happy at what she did.

"I-I am s-so sorry..."

"_Where's Kanda? Is he with you?"_

God she was so stupid…

She was so stupid!

"He didn't k-know..." she said, sobbing.

Allen didn't speak for a moment.

Then, he shouted, "_Don't move there. Stop sailing... NOW!"_

Allen cut off the line_—_

And Alma felt a raging cold she had never felt before.

She looked above and_—_

She cried.

It was raining again.

..

* * *

><p><strong>September 4, 2007<strong>

**4:25pm**

The rain had already stopped once more, but he knew that it wouldn't be that long before it poured again.

It took him almost an hour before he finally found the kayak she used and he when found out that she wasn't there anymore, Allen felt his world crushed before him.

He kept on shouting on the vicinity of the river when he heard that loud gushing of water again.

It was so loud and he went cold when he realized what it was.

There was a nearby waterfall.

Allen paled.

She was crying so hard when he found her dangling on the edge of a cliff of a fifty feet high massive waterfall. She was holding on a slippery rock and Allen knew that her grip was not going to last. He went cold when he calculated the average flow of it as he scan the area for anything he could use to heave her away from the heavy flow of the falling water.

It was a powerful waterfall with an average flow of over 4,000 cubic per feet second. It wasn't that high but the water's current was much too strong now because of the nonstop raining that afternoon.

"Alma!" he shouted. Thank God she was away from the waterfall's flow current. But the water beneath her wasn't that reassuring either. He had to pull her away from the edge first. "Don't move too much! I'll pull you so hold tightly, alright?!"

He saw Alma nodded, clearly trembling.

Shit. He had to pull her out of there again or she would definitely fall.

Then, he saw an old branch, seemingly deep rooted on the ground, lying near from where Alma was and an idea struck him. It wasn't that comforting— heck he could even put both of their lives in danger but he had to try.

He tried pulling the branch for a few second, testing its strength and he smiled. It was better than he thought.

Maybe, he could pull this one off.

Allen wouldn't let her die. There was no way he would allow it.

He then ducked on the ground and reached his other hand to Alma while his other hand was tightly gripping on the branch.

"Reach for my hand!" he shouted.

She did as what she was told.

A trembling and freezing hand reached to Allen.

A terrible cold wrapped his whole being.

He had to stop himself from crying right then and there.

Alma must have been so afraid all this time.

He gulped as he pushed his tears away and concentrated on the task at hand. He had to pull Alma away and bring her back to her home safely.

If it wasn't for him, this wouldn't happen.

Allen gritted his teeth.

"Don't ever let go of my hand!" he shouted as he grasp those fingers in his palm. He could feel her slowly slipping. He could feel her cold, clammy hands trembling in his clutch. "Don't panic, Alma... Just don't let go of my hand, alright? Look at me..." he coaxed the woman, who was now crying so much to calm down. She looked at him. Fear was written all over her face.

"I'm g-gonn d-die... I'm g-gonna die... please... I d-don't want to die..."

His face hardened.

"You're not going to die, Alma. Just don't let go of my hand and try pushing yourself upward. I want you to grab a steady rock and put your foot on it. Can you do it?"

"It's s-slippery..."

"It's alright. I got you. Can you try it?"

The woman slowly heaved herself towards a big lump of rock. She put her trembling feet on it and slowly, she lifted herself on the edge of the cliff where he was sprawled. He was using an old twig of an old tree to support both of their weight and he was afraid that it couldn't hold them for much long now.

He could almost hear it snapping slowly.

His hand was already slipping too, but he dared not to say it to the woman. He just tightened his grip more, hoping the branch would still give them a few more minutes before it finally give them up.

"That's wonderful, Alma. Now, I want you to grab on my shirt and haul yourself. Can you do it?"

Alma's eyes widened. "Y-you'll fall!"

He smiled as he assured her. "No. I won't. I'm holding tightly on an old branch of a tree. Do it, now."

"I c-cant! You'll fall! You will definitely fall!"

He felt himself slipping slowly. His hands trembled as he tried to tighten his grip on the old branch again.

Alma felt it, too. Her eyes widened again, tears began to water his eyes.

"Y-your slipping... You a-are slipping... O God! We're gonna die! We're gonna die!"

"No! You're not gonna die! Now, hurry and grab on my shirt and haul yourself!"

"No! We're gonna die!"

"ALMA!" he shouted despite the trembling of his body, of his own voice. He needed the woman to listen to him and he didn't need her panicking. "Please. Just do what I say. I know you can do it. I got you. Trust me." He stared at her eyes and he made sure he understood that he wouldn't let her go.

The tear-stricken woman slowly nodded her head and grabbed on his shirt at the back of his neck. This almost choked him but he stopped himself from coughing. He needed to make sure that Alma was safe and then he could haul himself aloft again.

"Good. Keep it up. You can do it," he encouraged the woman as she slowly climbed. Alma's upper half body was now resting on the edge of the cliff while he was still staring at the cold and dark waters below. He shivered when a cold wind blew past them. He could now feel his legs giving up on him and his left arm trembling from so much pressure.

He had to hurry up.

Or else he would just drag Alma below these murky waters.

"Alright. Now, I want you to crawl until your whole body was on the ground again Alma."

The woman did as she was told and crawled using his elbows. When she successfully heaved herself to safety, she extended her arms on the man at the edge of the cliff. "Now, grab my hand!"

The man smiled. "It's alright. I'm alright. Now, I want you to listen to me very carefully. The ground is very slippery so I want you to be careful as you stand up. Do not run."

Alma's eyebrows scrunched, his lips parted in alarm. "W-what are you saying?"

"I want you to go to where the others are."

"NO! Grab my hand now! We will both leave this place!"

The man just sadly smiled. "I can't. The soil is too soft. If I move even an inch, we will both fall. Don't worry about me. J-just do what I say."

"I AM NOT LEAVING YOU!"

"You have to leave now, Alma!"

"But I can't leave you!"

"I can hold on for another fifteen minutes. Trust me. Just hurry and call for help now. I'll be waiting for you guys here," he tried to smile. "Be sure to come back, alright?" he said.

Alma stared at him for another few second crying. The tears on her eyes just wouldn't stop. Seriously, he felt bad for lying at her. But he knew that he had to do it.

If it meant he could save her, then so be it.

He almost laughed at the incongruity of it all. He couldn't believe that until the very end, he was still lying to his friends—

And to himself.

"Go now, Alma," he said as he gave her his last smile_. "Go."_

He watched the woman slowly walked towards the safety of the forest.

**..**

* * *

><p><strong>September 4, 2007<strong>

**5:04pm**

He looked around the murky forest and all the trees surrounding him before he finally looked below the cliff where the dark water was waiting for him.

If he fell there—

Would he live?

He smiled again—

_Nah... It doesn't matter anymore._

And he let go.

The wind felt like it was crushing him.

It was terribly cold.

And he was afraid.

He was—

So afraid...

He closed his eyes.

"_Allen!"_

That was when he heard Kanda's voice again, echoing inside his mind. It sounded so caring, worried—

Allen smiled grew.

At least, before he end everything_—_

* * *

><p><em>"Love is an abstract noun, something nebulous.<em>

_And yet love turns out to be the only part of us that is solid, as the world turns upside down and the screen goes black."_

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>This is a very lousy chapter, I know, and I am so sorry… I tried… arghh… I'm so disappointed with myself. I know I could do better than this, but really, I was just too tired and too frustrated and… well, I think you already have an idea what I am feeling right now. It's a nasty feeling—nasty, nasty.

Again, I am so sorry for the crappy chapter and for the crappy story.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I do not own DGM.

**Warning/s:** Unbeta'ed. Awkward grammar.

* * *

><p><em>I explained that deep grief sometimes is almost like a specific location, a coordinate on a map of time. When you are standing in that forest of grief, you cannot imagine that you could ever find your way to some better place. But if someone can assure you that they themselves have stood in that same place, and now moved on, sometimes this will bring you hope.<em>

_"So sadness is a place?" Giovanni asked._

_"Sometimes, people live there for years," I said._

**Elizabeth Gilbert**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>August 4, 2012<strong>

'_Piano Season on the BBC is a six-week season celebrating all things piano. The season will explore the piano's wide-ranging influence from the 1700s to the present day, as well as delve into the lives of the people behind the piano and the music created for it.'_

"Hey, Daisya! There's a freaking costumer, you dolt!"

'_Highlights include coverage of The Leeds International Piano Competition, a Jazz Battle live from Trinity Laban College Greenwich, a downloadable A-Z of the piano, Peter Donohoe's 50 Greats, an online masterclass for budding pianists and personalities such as Woman's Hour's Jane Garvey and Olympic medal winner Samantha Murray taking up the challenge of learning the piano for the first time, with eight of them taking part in the season finale, a Gala Concert in Cardiff on the 29 October. The season will culminate on 6 November with a special episode ofImagineon BBC One focusing on Lang Lang as he turns 30.'_

"Daisya!"

A black haired teen rolled his eyes as he tried to ignore the calling with all his might. His eyes remained glued on the television and his lips were pursed in excitement.

'_Monday nights will be 'Piano Night' when BBC Radio 3's Live in Concert will offer listeners a series of piano recitals, from different corners of the nation, given by an array of international artists. Past Leeds finalist Sunwook Kim will play Beethoven and Schubert and Russian Evgenia Rubinova presents a programme of music from her native country; Ukrainian Alexei Grynyuk plays Chopin and Liszt; Pascal and Ami Rogé play French music for two_—"

"DAISYA!"

"—_pianos; while Radio 3 New Generation Artist Igor Levit performs Rzewksi's celebrated and fiendishly difficult Variations onThe People United Will Never Be Defeated; Ashley Wass and Huw Watkins team up to perform Robin Holloway's pianistic tour-de-forceThe Gilded Goldbergs.'_

"If you don't get down here this instant, I swear, I'm going to throw all your favorite manga!"

The room upstairs remained silent.

"I'm not fucking kidding, Kiddo. I will really do it."

No response at all.

"IF YOU DON'T COME OUT AFTER FIVE SECONDS, I'LL FRIGGIN' MASH YOUR PIANO AND SHOVE IT IN YOUR ASS."

"ONE! TWO! —"

A loud thumping of feet rumbled on the staircase.

"—THREE! FOUR! FIV—oh, there you are. It's about time."

"What the fuck is your problem?" Daisya glared at the grinning man, who happened to be his cousin. "We had an agreement yesterday. You agreed to take my post every Tuesday to Thursday, didn't you?"

Daisya clicked his tongue in irritation. He was watching something so important and this utterly sorry excuse for a human being was hindering him from his one and only desire in life.

"It's already twelve in the afternoon, little prince and I still haven't eaten my lunch. Now, if you are trying to kill yourself from starving, then by all means, do it. But please, spare me. I am too young to die," he said.

Daisya looked at his wristwatch.

"It's only ten thirty, you moron," he said, his face was slowly turning sour and sour as he stared at the now fidgeting man in front of him—like his cousin was trying to be fucking cute.

Ugh.

His usually messy crimson hair was gelled today and he was wearing his favorite polo shirt—the one he received from someone _special_ last Christmas (according to him, anyway).

Daisya didn't particularly like it but he didn't hate it either.

Though he would admit that the polo shirt certainly looked good on his cousin and whoever gave it to him must have a clear understanding of fashion.

Or what would look good even on the ugliest chap in the world.

Of course that was just an exaggerated remark given that there was no one in their family tree who isn't irresistibly good looking—modesty aside.

Damn, theirs was a hella good gene. Really.

But folly, he thought, was something his red-haired cousin unfortunately wasn't immune to.

And all these fidgeting was making him more and more annoyed and—

waitafuckingsecond.

Something clicked inside Daisya's head.

"Did you take a bath this morning?" he asked, concealing his suspicions.

"I take a bath _everyday!"_ The red haired yelped, indignant.

Now, that was new.

The red-haired cousin he _knew_ does not take bath every day.

Gross, right, but that was the truth.

There was something fishy going around here.

"Is that cologne I smell?" he said, chary. "You hate wearing cologne."

"Uh... Well, I-I, uh, kinda change m-my mind and—,"

"And you shaved?"

His cousin blinked. "Wha—?"

"You shaved. I just saw those stubbles on your chin yesterday..." Daisya purposely trailed. "And now, they're gone. You shaved."

"W-what the fuck... are you some kind of a stalker, Dais? That's creepy, dude." It was his pet name for him.

"It hard not to notice when I see you every day, stupid."

Daisya saw him sighed. Maybe trying to appear cool. "Is it so hard to believe that I'm being hygienic?"

He knew it.

_The fucker was trying to get away from his work._

Dasiya's eyes reduced to snake-like _slits._

The red haired looked so calm that it was beginning to unnerve him.

But he wasn't going to fall for that.

Not today, at least.

He had something very important to do, too.

If it was any other day, then maybe he could just pretend that he didn't notice that his cousin was having a 180 degree makeover just because he had a fucking date.

_Well, it ain't happening today though._

_Sorry, cous._

"So, are you done interrogating me?" the red haired asked and Daisya had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. "I have to eat early," he added and he could almost see a triumphant glow in his eyes like he was already so sure that he bought his third rate acting. The moron. "Gastritis. It's that bad and—"

_Gastritis, my ass._

Daisya decided to play the game his cousin was playing.

"I understand," he said, smiling.

The red haired beamed. "Really? Thankyousomuch, Dais!"

"Wait for me here. I'll gonna go get my wallet."

His cousin blinked, clearly confused. "What for?"

"What else? I'll gonna eat too, stupid. Now that you mention it, I didn't eat breakfast this morning and I am pretty starving now."

"WHAT?! W-wait! You—y-you, GOD, no! You can't!"

Daisya feigned innocence. "What's the problem?"

"You can't go with me!"

"Why?"

He was at loss for words.

Daisya almost smirked.

The moron looked so... moronic.

"I'm uh... I'm eating with Chouji! You don't like him, right?"

Well, not particularly.

He shook his head.

The two of them just don't go along that well, but they're cool.

The red haired looked like he was so close in banging his head on a nearby wall.

He looked so frustrated it was hilarious.

"C'mon, Daisya!"

"C'mon what?"

"Don't shit with me, man. I know that you already know where I'm going and you are purposely doing this to delay me!"

Daisya faked a surprised expression. "Oh my God, I don't know what you are talking about, cous."

"Argh!"

He smirked. That was too easy.

"Please, I'll do anything," he begged. "Just let me go today."

"No," he deadpanned as he stormed upstairs again. He locked his door and pulled his earphones out of his bag. He put it in his ears. But before he could plug it on the TV, he heard the man downstairs whined again.

"Hey—! C'mon, man! This is unfair! I have an important date today!"

Daisya ignored all of it.

The last thing he heard was the man's mumbled but clearly terrified and scared stiff voice saying, "_She is so gonna cut my dick!"_

"See if I care, dickass," he whispered to himself as he turned the sounds of the television on and drowned the annoying whines echoing beneath his room.

..

* * *

><p>You know that kind of feeling when you were with your boyfriend, walking arm in arm in the middle of the street teemed with other couples happily strolling around, with a huge smile plastered on your face when suddenly you find your beloved's head twisted and his eyes, so unbelievably widening, were boring into some skirt-clad human being other than yourself?<p>

"What are you looking at?!"

"Don't you love me anymore?"

"We are through!"

"Damn! I knew it! You don't really like me!"

Except that the 'human being' they were all staring at wasn't clad in a skirt but in sinfully skinny jeans that looked like it was specially made to hug her every curves.

Lenalee could only roll her eyes in exasperation. She could hear the sentiments of half of the female population on the street.

Knowingly, she arched her eyebrows.

_Tighten your dogs' leashes, bitches._

The women around her literally seethed in fury. And because she was a self proclaimed, full fledge bitch (and damn proud of it), she winked flirtatiously at them while gracefully sipping her Pink Lady—just to add insult to the injury or something along those lines.

She could almost hear the vibrant procession of curses being thrown in the air by covetous GFs outside the cafe and the dropping of their men's jaws on the ground.

Lenalee shook her head.

God, they we're all so simple.

Looking at them now, Lenalee couldn't help but grimace. They seemed as if they were all trying to get her naked right there in the middle of the street. Men were really such pigs.

And speaking of pigs...

The abhorrence she was feeling a while ago came back in full throttle. She looked at her phone again and scowled.

_im so sorry, lenalee! i cnt come ryt now! i'll be der at exactly 2pm. im rili sori! xoxo_

She twitched upon seeing the _revolting_ _xoxo_at the end of the text message.

And why was she still waiting? She could have just leave now and ignore the monkey for the rest of the week (or even for the rest of their lives), just to let him know that she hated waiting the most.

But she stayed.

And somehow, she hated herself for that.

She typed something on her phone—and grinned.

..

* * *

><p>Lavi almost crashed himself on the wall of his room as he hurriedly put his jacket on, cursing Daisya in his mind. If the little twerp let him go earlier, he wouldn't be this late and his little junior wouldn't be in grave danger.<p>

Lavi shuddered when he remembered the message he got an hour ago.

'_Say goodbye to your winky, Lavi,'_

He would really kill that piano freak if Lenalee seriously cut his junior off!

"Oi!" he shouted in front of Dasiya's room. "Lock the shop, a'right?!"

"Yeah, yeah," came the muffled voice inside.

Lavi bit his lips in restraint. He really wanted to strangle that asshole right now but he would do that later.

If he survive the Lenalee's ordeal, that is.

He sighed as he turned his back on the closed door.

He stopped when he thought he heard Dasiya's muffled voice again. It was as if he was mumbling or something...

"_Don't...framed. That... an interesting decor...wall."_

Lavi put his ear on the door and listened. "Did you say something, Dais?"

"Nothing," the younger boy said.

Lavi scrunched his eyebrows. "But I heard you—"

"It was nothing."

He scratched his head and oddly stared on the still closed door. "A'right. If you say so," he said. "And don't forget to close the shop after four!"

"Yes, yes. You go now. Leave the shop to me."

..

* * *

><p><em>Don't worry, I'll have your severed organ framed. That would make an interesting decor on my wall.<em>

..

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you're going to do this, Mana? This is a well-made piano and it's been with you since you were still a toddler."<p>

Mana forlornly smiled at his friend, Jay Higgins. "As expected from a celebrated piano maker. Nothing really escapes your eyes when it comes to these things."

Mr. Higgins just smiled, albeit despondently too at Mana's dejected voice. He knew what happened to his friend's son five years ago and even now he could tell that the man still hadn't recover from the incident. Allen Walker was a sweet and kind boy, and a very talented pianist, too. He met him when he was still so little and yet he could already tell that if he would be given an adequate amount time, Allen could be a great pianist someday. But instead of competing, the boy decided to teach what he had learned to other children in the hope of instilling the fervor of music to their hearts.

And that, Higgins believed, was the most precious gift he had given to this world.

"Allen-chan wouldn't be happy to know that his father is wasting his life away because of him, you know."

"You know that is not true, Jay..."

Jay Higgins shook his head. "Don't give me that half-ass excuse, Mana. We both know that ever since the incident, you have never played the piano again."

Mana remained silent. He was looking afar; his eyes were filled of loneliness and seclusion.

"It was your life. Playing the piano was your life and yet... you abandoned it. And now, you are selling this," he pointed the grand piano at the corner of the room. "I am certainly sure he wouldn't be happy if he knew that the renowned and distinguished Mana Walker is throwing his beloved grand piano away."

Mana's tired face coiled into a painful expression.

"If only it is that easy, Jay..."

He looked at the grand piano again and in the deepest recesses of his heart, he could still hear Allen playing the piano for him with those small, little fingers, gliding effortlessly on the keys.

His buoyant laughter that used to fill this home and his heart with pulsating energy and love; and Allen's sweet and endearing voice that kept on calling his name over and over...

Everything.

The vacant old piano melancholy sitting at the corner of the room while accumulating dusts and cobwebs was making him remember everything.

Mana looked down, trying to conceal the tears that were threatening to fall into his eyes. His chest was painfully tightening; and once again, he felt that excruciating pain of losing his only son as if it was only yesterday.

Time was slowly and painfully passing him by.

But he remained stuck here—in this isolated place.

_And he knew that he could not get_ away.

It's a place that Allen specially built for Mana when he left;

A place called _loneliness_.

* * *

><p><strong>TBC<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note (rant):<strong> Thank you so much for those who reviewed the last chapter where I left you all with a maddening cliffhanger, and for that, I am so sorry.

So, this chapter will be the start of the second arc of the story, _Achromatic Sky_ (and most probably the last one). Hope you enjoyed reading this as I enjoyed waving each sentences. Don't be shy to review and to throw me criticisms (just be gentle, alright? haha) or to just simply convey to me what you think about the story and all those things that fanfiction authors say in their goddamn notes. Kidding aside, I seriously hope you'll let me know what you think, a'right? Nothing could ever make me happier than to know that someone out there is cursing my story and my awkward grammar in writing. Ciao!


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I do not own DGM.

* * *

><p><em>"After a while you learn…<br>That even sunshine burns if you get too much._

So you plant your garden and decorate your own soul,  
>Instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers."<p>

— **Jorge Luis Borges, "You Learn"**

* * *

><p>It was bliss.<p>

He was feeling the earth's harmony and accord blending together, soothing his soul and his mind while slowly caressing every fiber of his being. It was like the air was lifting him up in the sky and he knew that he would give up everything just to be like this forever. To be able to feel like this for eternity, with nothing and everything; like he was just sleeping while exploring the whole world, seeing every miracles of nature, every nook and cranny of each corner, and to be able to touch everything, feel everything with these mortal hands, with this mortal body—all while deeply rooted in one place, never even leaving once.

He opened his eyes.

His fingers were suspended in the mid-air as he felt his even breathing. He looked at how pale they were, noting the bony structure of each, and how ghostly they appeared.

His breath hitched.

Before him were thousands of people standing and applauding.

..

* * *

><p>"Good morning," greeted Alma as she bowed her head.<p>

"What's with the formal greeting, huh?" asked a playful voice. It was a blond man in his early thirties wearing fashionable sunglasses and wearing an almost perpetual grin. "You make me feel like I am so old, Alma-chan."

The woman widened her eyes as she recognized the man behind his sunglasses. "Reever-san!" she ran towards him and enclosed the man in an air-stealing embrace. "I am so happy to see you!"

"M-me too," Reever croaked, silently cursing the woman's tight clinch. "Y-you can let me go now, Alma. I prefer not to be killed in suffocation, you know."

"I'm sorry," Alma reddened as she let him go. "I was just so happy to see you again."

Reever faked a cough. "I was happy to see you a few seconds ago before you glomped me."

Alma burst into laughter.

Reever looked amused.

"So, how's the new art gallery owner?" he asked, his voice was teasing. "I've heard the business is booming."

The woman beamed. "I'm doing fine. I think. I just finished talking to a friend of mine, who has been in the business for so many years and she said she will talk to Nuel McGraw this week."

He didn't know much about paintings but he had heard about McGraw and his works before. He was a young, talented artist and media's favorite. "The 'Nuel McGraw'? Seriously?"

"Yes."

"That is seriously great!"

Alma chuckled. "Not really. I mean, there are so many galleries in London and I don't know if he really wants his works to be displayed in a small and newly opened gallery."

"As long as his painting sells, it doesn't matter if yours is a newly opened gallery. If he turns you down, then, man, it is his loss, really," Reever shrugged his shoulders and then, he earnestly smiled, happy to see the woman slowly building her life. "I really think you are doing great, Alma," he said, his voice was full of earnestness, an unusual shift from his comical personality.

Alma fondly smiled.

"Thanks. I'm planning on expanding next year, but I guess I just have to focus on increasing my contacts first and to meet a lot of aspiring artists who are just waiting to be discovered."

He didn't really mean it that way but Reever just grinned again, taking a lungful of air inside his chest. "Atta girl," he playfully said as he ruffled Alma's cropped hair. "I'm glad I visited today. I bet you will be busy now that you already have your dream on your hands."

A shadow veiled Alma's eyes. "Not really. I'm just trying to make a living," she said, almost to herself. "I don't believe in dreams now, Reever-san."

He gazed at her forlorn face, regretting his last words. "Don't say that," he said as he patted Alma's shoulder. "We are all put into this world to dream. We are all dreamers whether we like it or not."

He looked at her in the eyes.

"Someday, some of your dreams will come true and it is only normal that some of them will not. It is nothing personal. It happens to everyone."

Alma pursed her lips and nodded. For a moment, he really thought she would cry. But the crying never came and patted her head again because he knew that was all he could do right now.

..

* * *

><p>"Daisya!"<p>

The teenager halted his steps as he looked around, searching for the owner of the voice.

"Up here, man."

He looked up and there he saw Fo, perched on a branch of a mahogany tree.

Poor tree, he thought.

She was his mischievous classmate who didn't know how to wear shoes. Or how to distinguish the difference between a friend who give a damn and a friend who was just messing around. The two of them weren't exactly friends, but they were not enemies either.

They were somehow in the middle. He was between a 'friend who give a damn and a friend who was just messing around'. Now, figure it out yourself.

"What are you doing there?" he asked.

Fo waved a banana resting on her hand. "Eating."

_Just like a monkey._

He didn't even know if he should be amuse or what. "Can't you eat in normal places?"

The girl shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know what you are talking about, man."

"Get down here, Fo, or else he will see you again and—"

"FOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Daisya rolled his eyes. "Speaking."

It was Bak, a 29-year-old Chinese-German teacher and the grandson of the original founder of their school. Currently, it was his father who was governing the whole school right now. He was generally a nice man and a capable Science teacher but for some reason, he was always like this when it was concerning Fo.

"What did you do to Millie this morning?!" he asked, shouting, reddening in anger. He looked like a small gorilla pounding his chest while growling except that he wasn't hairy and he wasn't pounding his chest.

"She accidentally banged her head on the wall and she bled here," Fo pointed at her forehead.

Daisya was now itching to turn his back and to leave these two alone. "

"And what did you do?"

"I helped her, of course."

Daisya blinked. Fo actually helped someone. Wasn't that great?

Then why was Bak twitching and reddening in rage?

"I let her used my band-aid and—"

"THAT WAS NOT A BAND-AID!" he shouted and Daisya almost jumped on his place. "IT WAS A—it was a—argh! It was _that!_ And you let her wander inside the school wearing _that_ on her face for everyone to see! How can you be so cruel!?"

"I helped her stop the blood, Bak. That was all I did," came the deadpanned answer.

The twitching and reddening worsened.

Bak now resembled a twitching spotted shrimp.

If there was a shrimp like that.

"You know what you did? YOU LET HER WEAR YOUR FUCKING SANITARY NAPKIN ON HER FACE!"

She looked down at Daisya whose eyes were widening in astonishment. "It was actually a panty liner," she said. "There's a difference. And besides, as I have said, I just helped her stop the blood and the panty liner worked."

This only made Bak's fury worse.

"COME WITH ME IN THE GUIDANCE OFFICE. NOW!" he shouted.

"Can I finish eating this banana first?"

"NO!"

Daisya was still stunned at what he heard, along with the other students who heard Bak's not so hushed words.

He saw the teacher marching towards the Guidance Office building with a stiff back.

"Hey," Fo whispered to him and he snapped back from his trance.

She gave him a small white box. "I want you to listen to this."

"What is this?"

"A CD."

"Not a sanitary napkin?"

Fo smiled. "I'll give you some if you really want."

Daisya wrinkled his nose. "You are really so gross."

"But they are really more absorbent than band-aids, you know."

Daisya violently shook his head. He didn't want to give Fo any weird ideas about him and sanitary napkins.

She nodded her head. "If you say so."

"So you'll gonna lend this to me?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah. You will love it. I promise," she said, smiling.

It was one of those rare smiles of Fo and Daisya just nodded, sending her his silent thanks, afraid that his voice would croak if he muttered a word.

When he could no longer see the young woman, he decided to sit on a nearby stool as he slowly opened the box.

Daisya sighed in relief.

It was indeed just a CD.

No sanitary napkin.

Thank God.

He opened it and he was somehow thwarted at what he saw.

There was nothing exceptional about its package. It was surprisingly basic and plain, clad in nothing but a white background and it made him feel like he was staring at an infinite abyss—white version. There were a few splotches of blank ink on some parts of the cover but he guessed that they were placed there intentionally.

However, the big but elegantly embossed letters caught his attention;

_WEISS_

_(Eng) n. white, color white_

_A German word? _He thought as he continued examining it.

It was when he noticed it.

It was barely there, but he knew what he saw.

The white background of the cover wasn't really just white. There, on the background, was a figure playing a grand piano. It was so vague that Daisya had to squint his eyes just to see it clearly.

A small, pallid word that was perfectly blending on the white background was written beneath the figure.

'Neah,' it read.

* * *

><p><em>"It's strange that words are so inadequate. <em>

_Yet, like the asthmatic struggling for breath, so the lover must struggle for words."_

— **T.S. Eliot**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Thank you so much sayo-chan64, Alissa Lee, inlluminate, and whisperypath (thank you so much for always, always, always being there—smothering me with love! And for always letting me know that I am so slow and lazy author haha!) for reviewing. :) I don't know how to answer your queries without revealing my entire plot (if there's any :P), but for now, I just want to thank you guys for reading, together with all those who alerted and viewed the last chapter.

And thank you to Kurohane Ookami for her epic review last, last chapter. *smiles* Thank you, thank you so much.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I do not own DGM.

**Warning/s: **Unbeta'ed. Awkward grammar.

* * *

><p><em>"I don't know what's worse: to not know what you are and be happy, <em>

_or to become what you've always wanted to be, and feel alone."_

— **Daniel Keyes, **_**Flowers for Algernon**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

* * *

><p>The light in his eyes was blinding.<p>

There were few familiar voices echoing in his ears but he couldn't identify who they were.

The world started to spin; and it continued spinning—

Until everything he had known up until now slowly left his psyche.

The voices started to ebb, the blinding light started to dim.

Slowly,—

Slowly…

Until he was alone. Again.

..

* * *

><p>"What happened to him?"<p>

"We sedated him, Mr. Michael. He needs it to calm down."

"But he called my name just now."

"Maybe he heard you calling him before he completely lost his consciousness. He had been calling your name numerous times since he was rushed here an hour ago."

"Will he be alright?"

"Yes. We hope to take a few tests though, just to be sure."

"Why did he collapse?"

"We believe it was a form of a trauma or maybe he just got overwhelmed seeing a large crowd gathering around him. We can't really be sure, given his medical history."

"Is that bad—I mean, for his condition?"

"Yes and no. I advise not to strain him too much."

"Can I talk to him after he wakes up?"

The doctor smiled. "I believe you can, Mr. Michael. In fact, I think he would be absolutely delighted to see you first once he wakes up."

..

* * *

><p>Someone was playing a piano.<p>

Someone...

Soothing his tired soul—

_Do not stop_

_Please_

_continue_

_continue_

_continue_

_please_

_please_

The music continued on playing.

His finger gently twitched, longing to join the person making that breathtaking and melodious melody.

He wanted to open his eyes and play the piano.

To glide his finger on those keys,

To delve deeper into that harmonious tune, cradling his mind,—

His soul,—

His heart.

_Do not stop_

_please_

_continue_

_continue_

It was achingly beautiful.

_Wake up_

_Wake up_—he told himself.

_Wake up and play the piano. _

_Please._

_Please._

_Wake_—

Up.

..

* * *

><p>Daisya slowly closed the door of his room. He threw his bag pack on his bed and collapse together with it. He closed his eyes, calming the fast beating of his heart after running down the street up to the shop.<p>

The exams were next week and he was sure that Professor Marie would be showing again to the music class after missing school for almost half a year.

He shuddered in excitement.

At last, after waiting all these time...

He stared at the white ceiling, thinking of the things he would do now. He figured had to talk to Professor Marie first. He eyes caught a loitering magazine on the floor and he almost smiled when he saw the respected Professor on its cover. He had been invited in Ukraine last year to teach music students in a prominent university there that was why he had to leave his post for almost half a year.

_And now, he is coming back again. _

It was because of him that he pursued this course and why he was here in England right now.

_And why I have to live with that glorious cousin of mine. _

Lavi Bookman was the son of his mother's only sister, Jean. The red haired was eleven years older than Daisya but he always act like he was freaking twelve or something. Whenever Daisya looked at him, the upright and responsible twenty-seven-year-old adult that his mother promised—someone who would take care of all of his needs while he was on college— was slowly, slowly ingraining on his mind as just a well-situated, sugarcoated lie.

Or maybe his mother didn't really know that the place where he threw his only beloved son was a den where one could get all the necessary bad and appalling attitudes to be officially labeled as a crook of the society.

Partying all night, hordes of different women coming in and out of the apartment, not bathing for a whole week, etcetera, etcetera. He could name them all but he was afraid to waste his whole goddamn day musing over every hell he saw since he first set foot here.

Aside from being a number one sloth and a grubby asshole, a party animal, and being just a plain _animal_, Lavi was an entrepreneur. He was running a small thrift shop that wasn't really thrifty. But it didn't change the fact that the shop had so many avid costumers that Daisya almost think that he was threatening each and every one of them just so they would buy stuffs from him.

He was gravely disappointed when he finally found out the truth one day from one of 'Lavi-sama's avid costumer'.

"Lavi only sells top quality products. Once I was looking for a _Viotti; ex-Bruce_, the one I have been searching for like years and I only found it here."

"Isn't that a very rare violin?"

"Yes!"

"And you... found it here?"

"Oh, yes!"

Daisya scratched his head. Well, Stradivarius violins were indeed _very _rare but to found something so valuable in this... shabby thrift shop was just too good to be true that he thought maybe Lavi was just trying to con these good people into thinking that he got the real thing when it was only a replica, albeit a very impressive one, especially if he could fool collectors like this man.

Well, Lavi looked like someone who would do something like that, so he wasn't really that surprised.

However, what he didn't expect was the price of the said replica that the man joyfully shared to him.

He confronted Lavi about it, angry that he was actually swindling his naive costumers.

"Are you talking about Greg?" he asked, not even perturbed by his rage.

"I am talking about the fake Stradivarius violin that you sold to him for a fucking unreasonable price!"

Lavi blinked.

"Oh. The _Viotti; ex-Bruce__?"_ he innocently asked.

"YES!" Damn it, he was too used to this that nothing, not even a single hint of shame, was showing on his face.

Lavi blinked and shook his head. "That was not a fake, Dais. It was a real Stradivarius violin, you know."

Daisya felt his nostrils flaring up. "Are you fucking with me too?"

"No. I was just telling the truth. That was a real Stradivarius violin."

"And you are expecting me to believe that, huh?"

Lavi sighed as he scratched his head. "Alright. Come with me," he said as he started to drag him outside the shop.

"Where are we going?" he tried to shake his hold on him but the grip on his arm was too strong.

They went to that Greg's house, which was surprisingly near to the shop (just a block away) and Lavi asked him to show the said Stradivarius violin to him 'just to pacify his innocent mind', as his cousin put it.

"He just want to know if it is the real _Viotti; ex-Bruce__._ He won't be at peace until he knows that yours is a real Stradivarius."

Daisya growled in contempt but did not speak.

"Is that even possible? I mean, I believe in you, Lavi, so you really don't have to do this, you know," Greg said, scratching his head.

Lavi sighed. "No, I'm doing this for myself and for my sanity's sake, Greg. Besides, I know he doesn't look like it, but this guy's a genius when it comes to distinguishing authentic musical instruments from replicas. He will know if it's bona fide or not. He's real; believe me. Though I can't say the same thing for what's under his belly."

Daisya almost kicked him for that, but the freaking red haired gorilla immediately held him on his scruff like he was some kind of a pup, goddamnit!

"Is he your new assistant in the shop?"

"Nah. More like a cousin, unfortunately."

"He doesn't look like you."

"We get that a lot."

And so he let the two of them enter his room and there he saw the _Viotti; ex-Bruce_, a 1709 Stradivarius violin.

And it was a freaking real one.

Daisya couldn't even believe his eyes.

Actually, what Lavi said back there was the truth. He wouldn't call himself a genius though but he really had a knack for distinguishing genuine and authentic musical instruments from the replicas and this Stradivarius was as real as his ass—and he hadn't even played it yet.

Correction: He didn't have to play it to know it was real.

He didn't know why, but he could just tell that it was the real one.

"What do you think?" Lavi asked, utter smugness was emitting from his thick, lacey voice and it was freaking driving him nuts.

"It's real," he whispered, almost to himself. He still couldn't believe it.

"What did he say?" Greg asked; now startlingly keen on knowing what he thought despite of what he had said a while ago about trusting Lavi yaada, yaada.

"We can't hear you brat."

Daisya gritted his teeth.

"It's real."

"Loud~eer."

"IT'S FUCKING REAL, ALRIGHT?!"

His cousin evilly grinned.

Asshole.

The thrift shop also had an amazing variety of items; from shoes, to men and women clothes, old cameras, pins, collectible figurines and action figures, antique furniture that could only be seen in old movies where Natalie Wood and Marilyn Monroe starred (and he didn't even know who Natalie Wood was). The shop was also selling hand-made and branded products, old movies (those big, black CDs you see loitering around your grandparents' house?), old soundtracks, and even old... pets. Lavi had six (six!) tortoises that were almost thrice his mother's age and even more. His cousin told him they were his grandfather's pets when he was still a young man, and that he started taking care of them when his old man died a few years back.

Oh wait. He wasn't really selling those tortoises, so they were not really included in the list.

So far, living with his red haired cousin wasn't really that bad.

Lavi had a cheerful—annoyingly cheerful attitude and because of this, people flocked around him like he was some kind of a dog poop and the only difference was that he didn't smell.

Well, at least not yet.

But he did have his mood swings now and then and Daisya witnessed it last month when he accidentally heard him and a rather blasted costumer in a heated argument about an inflatable kayak.

Daisya thought that the costumer looked so familiar to him...

"I thought you sell everything inside this shop?" said the small, chubby man who had a pointy moustache as a hair. It was nestling on the top of his shiny scalp, (devoid of any hair except for the pointy moustache) looking like a ribbon on top of a shiny present.

Except it looked really horrible and bile-inducing.

"_You_ are inside the shop but I do not sell _you_, mister."

"Do not get smart on me, young man. I am asking you to sell me that inflatable kayak at once! Or maybe the reason why you do not want to sell me that kayak is because my price is not that high!"

He saw Lavi sighed heavily.

"First of all, this is a thrift shop and we do not do auction here, alright? Secondly, that inflatable kayak is not for sale and I do not know what kind of hallucination you are having right now telling you that you can buy that."

Then, Lavi scoffed.

Daisya shivered from where he was hiding (he didn't even realize that he was, in fact, hiding! Not to mention silently listening to them). Because when Lavi scoffs, it just meant one thing; he was trying to royally piss someone.

And it damn worked every time.

Daisya could always freaking testify to that.

"But I guess I should not be surprised anymore because you look like someone who would hallucinate having a wife," he said, making sure every word he said were being heard clearly.

The chubby man reddened and Daisya almost thought he was having a heart attack.

"I-I'M SINGLE! Y-YOU UNCOUTH C-CHILD!"

"Oh, I see. Then, my condolences, sir."

The costumer indeed left the shop after that, but not before spouting curses in the air.

That night, he approached Lavi on his own, his head down, and his voice was low.

"It was my fault."

Lavi looked up to him and closed the magazine he was reading.

It was porn, by the way.

"What?" he asked clearly curious.

"I was the one who told him that that kayak was for sale. I-I didn't know. Sorry."

He stared at him for at least a few seconds.

Daisya felt it was the longest few seconds of his life.

"Oh," Lavi said, nodding. "I see." And just like that he was back on his 'reading' again.

His mouth gaped.

Just like that?

This, for some reason, irritated Daisya.

And here he was, worrying his brains out about what happened and Lavi just said an unflattering, 'oh' to him when he was clearly expecting a more... violent reaction.

"Don't you have something to say to me?" he asked, still refusing that it was that easy. Maybe the red haired was just trying to be an adult and was in fact masking his annoyance at him right now.

He wouldn't have that.

There was no way.

It was his goddamn fault and if he had to be punished, then so be it.

Lavi looked up to him again and creased his eyebrows, unmistakably displeased at something.

Daisya took a lungful of air.

_There._

_He certainly has something to say to me. _

_Be ready, Daisya, _he told himself.

"Oh yeah," Lavi started. He looked down on his magazine and he thought he was going to put it away to talk to him properly when the red haired suddenly put – _shoved _– it in front of his face. A very nude picture of the two sexy ladies bombarded his virgin eyes that immediately went widening.

Daisya didn't know where to look first.

Upper or bottom?

His mind swayed and for some reason, he thought he was having a breakdown.

"Which do you think is sexier, Megan Fox or Angelina Jolie? I just can't really decide, you know. I both love Tomb Rider and Transformers. Not to mention that they both have big boobies."

_Dear Mother,_

_Remember how you used to say to me that when I grow up, I'll finally understand how to be a man just like father? Well, guess what? I am now officially a man. And it is all thanks to you and this goddamn pervert cousin of mine. _

..

* * *

><p>"Jasdero, David, come here."<p>

The two teenagers shivered. They knew that they did something wrong and that Michael wasn't please.

"We are so sorry. Please don't hit us," said David, his eyes tight. He was more expressive than Jasdero and younger by three years. He was only three years old when he first came here with his brother. He was eight years old now. "We are just trying to cheer him up... we... we didn't want to see him so lonely..."

Jasdero, who was eleven years old now, was the perpetually quiet one. He remained hushed, standing in a corner of the room, but Michael knew that he was trembling in fright, too.

He sighed.

He didn't mean to scare the kids like this. He wasn't really angry, not at all. He was just trying to know what really happened when he was away from home and how did the three of them end up in a shopping mall.

But he guessed they wouldn't understand it even if he tried to explain.

They had a very traumatic childhood after all.

"And who told you that you two will be hit?" He asked, smiling. He tried clearing his voice so that it would not be that coarse, though he knew it was futile. He had a natural deep voice and he guessed it was scaring the two boys right now. "I didn't know I was that bad..." he trailed as he looked sad. "And I thought you guys like me."

Michael heard a loud sniffing and he saw David running to him, barely containing his tears.

Jasdero soon followed his brother. He slowly walked towards Michael and sat beside him. He wasn't crying, but trembling lips were an indication that he was just suppressing it while silently muttering the words '_I am sorry_'.

Michael couldn't help but smile. He always thought that it was odd how these two could easily melt his heart.

He ruffled David's dark blue hair and tapped Jadero's pale hand that was resting on his lap.

..

* * *

><p><em>David was so happy.<em>

_He was smiling as he led him here. _

"_You want to play the piano, right?" he cheerfully asked and he could see Jasdero watching us far afar, nodding. _

_He wanted him to play. _

_They wanted him to play. _

_The man standing in front of them was smiling, too. _

_David said he was the owner of the magnificent shop._

_There were lots of musical instruments adorning the place. _

_Flute._

_Violin._

_Trumpets._

_Drums. _

_Guitars._

_And then there was the white grand piano, majestically sitting in the middle of everything as if he was waiting for him all along._

_He sat._

_He played._

_It was bliss._

_He was feeling the earth's harmony and accord blending together, soothing his soul and his mind while slowly caressing every fiber of his being. It was like the air was lifting him up in the sky and he knew that he would give up everything just to be like this forever. To be able to feel like this for eternity, with nothing and everything; like he was just sleeping while exploring the whole world, seeing every miracles of nature, every nook and cranny of each corner, and to be able to touch everything, feel everything with these mortal hands, with this mortal body—all while deeply rooted in one place, never even leaving once._

_He opened his eyes._

_His fingers were suspended in the mid-air as he felt his even breathing. He looked at how pale they were, noting the bony structure of each, and how ghostly they appeared._

_His breath hitched._

_Before him were thousands of people standing and applauding._

_He felt cold. _

_A shivering cold._

"_Michael..." he gasped._

_He was not here._

_His mouth felt dry. _

"_Michael..." he repeated, hoping he would appear if he raised his voice a little._

_But he didn't._

_There were so many people staring at him._

_They were all looking at him._

_Do not stare_

_Do not_

_stare_

_Please_

_Stop_

_No_

_It was cold_

_Cold_

_cold_

_c—_

_old._

_Michael..._

..

* * *

><p>Daisya abruptly opened his eyes.<p>

He could hear his phone ringing somewhere in his room.

He was still wearing his sweater and it seemed like he fell asleep an hour ago.

He yanked his phone under his pants, yawning. "Hello?"

"_How was it?"_

Daisya scrunched his eyebrows. "Who is this?"

"_Fo."_

"Fo?"

"_Yes."_

"How did you know my number?" he asked, astonished. He didn't really remember giving her any of his contact numbers.

"_I have my sources. So, how was it?"_

"What do you mean you have your sources? And what the hell are you talking about?" He couldn't help but feel irritated. This was an invasion of privacy! And besides, he was a freaking girl! He shouldn't be calling some random guy like it was a normal thing_—_even if _he _wasn't some random guy.

"_I'm talking about the CD, man. The CD? Remember? Inside the white box?"_

Daisya blinked.

Oh.

"Y-yeah. But I haven't listened to it yet. I fell asleep when I got home this afternoon."

Daisya gulped when he didn't receive any response from the quirky girl and he, of course, began to panic the line suddenly cut off.

Why?

Well, it only meant one thing, right?

_She's mad._

He jumped on his bag and rummaged it, looking for a particular white box. He remembered putting it together with his old socks...

_There!_

He opened his laptop and opened the DVD drive and inserted the CD in it. Next he did was to turn his speaker loudly so that he could hear it clearly.

Well, he wasn't really afraid at Fo being angry at him_—no—_ but it was kind of awkward rather, to have someone like her being angry at him.

That was what he kept on telling himself as he waited for the CD to load.

And then it played.

And Daisya lost it all.

..

* * *

><p>"Sir?"<p>

A man frowned at the sudden intrusion. He was sitting on a majestic black leather couch while smoothly gliding his fingers on his iPad that was sitting on his lap. "I told you I don't want to be disturbed, Chaoji," he darkly said. He was wearing a basic blue long sleeve and black pants. His long, dark blue hair that was usually secured at his back was now freely falling on his shoulders.

The young man flinched at the visibly murky mood of his boss and nodded. "I apologize, sir. But Mr. Bookman is outside waiting for you. He said he has something important to say and_—_

"I think you didn't understand me, Chaoji," the man darkly muttered as he stop what he was doing and lifted his face from the screen. He was wearing his reading eyeglasses, and it made him look sterner than normal. "I told you I didn't want to be disturbed and_—"_

"Yuu!"

The room's intricate door burst opened revealing an almost offensive mop of red hair and an equally odious chuckling face. "Long time no see!"

"You are fired Chaoji," the man on the couch unsympathetically said, not even glancing at the new arrived guest.

Chaoiji paled at what he heard. "S-sir?" his voice was laced of panic.

"You heard me right. Now, get out."

"C'mon, Yuu! Don't bully the guy so much," said the red haired guest who sat uninvited at the couch near where he was sitting.

"Do not call me 'Yuu' and get the hell out of here," came the deadpanned answer void of any emotion.

"I'm visiting you, you know," Lavi said, smiling gently. He raised his thumb on Chaouji signaling that he could close the door now and he winked, as if saying, 'leave it to me'.

When they were finally alone, Lavi sighed as he plopped his head on the sofa, closing his eyes.

"How are you, Kanda?" he asked, not glancing to the man on his right who was still busy working on his iPad.

"It's none of your business," it was a curt reply and Lavi smiled despite of the coldness he was receiving.

"Lenalee and I are going to Paris this week,_ —"_

"I don't care."

"—and I am planning to propose to her there."

There was no answer and Lavi had to laugh just to break the thickening silence enveloping the two of them.

"What? No congratulatory remaks?" he teased.

Kanda abruptly stood, still saying nothing and Lavi did, too. "Do not run away, Kanda," he tightly said, gone the playful tone in his voice. "Stop running and face your past once and for all."

Kanda's fists clenched. His back was facing Lavi. "I am not running, asshole," he muttered darkly. In his eyes, thousands of diverse sentiments were passing each second. "There was no reason to run away."

"Then why?" Lavi asked, his voice was rising.

"I don't understand what you are talking about_—_"

"Is it true that you and Alma never got married?"

Kanda's lips pursed, his teeth were clenching. "It's none of your business, Baka-usagi."

And so Lavi prodded more.

"Is it because of what happened?"

There was no answer.

"Is it because of Allen?"

Uncertainty was written all over Kanda's face and Lavi could clearly see it all. The man was faltering, like he was fighting an imperceptible struggle within himself.

Like he was at lost at what to do, at what to say.

But Kanda was clearly livid.

The red haired shivered. Suddenly, the room felt tight, like its walls were trying to flatten him at once.

He watched Kanda's cold demeanor stand before him, seeping with so much detestation and disgust. Lavi's eyes quivered and widened in astonishment as his friend slowly,_—oh so _slowly_—_lifted his gaze from the floor to finally gazed at him with those oddly familiar freezing orbs_—_

that almost felt like they were slicing your insides with thousands of knives_—_

_Slowly, _

_Little by little..._

Kanda spat those words like it was poisoning his mouth; like it was something so_—_

—_revolting_

_Sordid_

_Disgusting—_

"**Do **_**not**_** speak to me of **_**Allen**_**." **

—that Lavi couldn't help but feel that the man speaking in front of him—

The friend he once knew—

Was no longer the same person that he met before.

Lavi gulped, barely containing himself.

Something inside Kanda changed, and he didn't know what exactly that was.

But Lavi was certain of one thing;

Allen's death did something to Kanda Yuu

—something that altered the man's life—

_Something that might stay with him for good._

**TBC**

**..**

**..**

**..**

"_It's wrong what they say about the past, I've learned, about how you can bury it._

_Because the past claw its way out."_

—**Khaled Hosseini, **_**The Kite Runner**_

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> And yeah. Kanda and Alma never got married. And well, for those people who are thinking what kind of Job Kanda has in this story, well, I still can't decide. How about a male stripper? That sounds good—but definitely not legit. So, yeah, I'm still thinking. For now, how about you give me something that might wake me up from a never ending stupor called 'procrastination'? I'm badly suffering from it these past few weeks.

*smiles*

(…)

Do I really have to say it?

Urgh.

Fine.

**HOPE YOU (PLEASE) REVIEW!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I own none of the characters.

* * *

><p><em>Where you used to be, there is a hole in the world,<em>

_which I find myself constantly walking around in the daytime, _

_and falling in at night. _

_I miss you like hell._

— Edna St. Vincent Millay

* * *

><p>Daisya didn't know he was crying.<p>

He looked at the CD case he was holding and gulped.

It was the most beautiful composition he had ever heard in his entire life. No wonder Fo was so adamant in making him listen to this.

It was just fucking unbelievable.

_Neah... _

Who was this Neah?

How come he didn't hear of his name before?

...

_I was awake now. _

_I could already see Michael sitting beside me. _

_He was saying something but I couldn't understand what it was. _

_I wanted to say something, too, but my voice just won't work._

_So I held out my hand and traced every curve on his face. _

_His lips._

_His nose._

_His eyes._

_Michael was truly beautiful._

_Unlike me._

_I hated my face._

_I hated myself for being a fucking burden to everyone. _

_I started to scratch my face and Michael immediately stopped my hands. _

_He wouldn't let me erase my face. _

_He just wouldn't. _

_The last time I did it, he got angry but the funny thing was, he had this sad look on his face while he was cleaning my bloody cheeks. _

_Every day, I would feel sorry for Michael for having me here. _

_I tried to cry, just to lessen the weight I was feeling inside, but I could no longer produce tears. _

_You know that feeling?_

_I really wish you knew. _

...

"He's fine now. I put an antiseptic on his wounds but I suggest you don't let him touch it again with his hands. We don't want it to be infected."

Michael sat at a nearby chair as he looked on the bed where their patient was lying asleep. "He was touching my face just now and his eyes... they looked so clear when he gazed at me."

"Did he say something?" The doctor asked.

Michael shook his head.

"He just stared at me and then he started scratching his face. I thought he wouldn't do that again. It's been months since the last time he tried to harm his self."

The doctor sighed. "Maybe he was frustrated."

"Frustrated about what?"

The doctor straightened out his back. "Maybe he saw his reflection somewhere when he went out yesterday."

Michael closed his eyes and heaved a sigh. "Maybe. So what should I do?"

"Just let him rest for a while, Michael. If he wakes up, let him play the piano. He looks so happy when he's playing," said the doctor as stood up. "I will be going now. Just call me just in case his temperature rises this afternoon."

"I will, sir." Michael stood and ushered the doctor to the front door of the mansion. "Thank you so much, Mr. Jenkins."

The doctor put his hat on and smiled. "It's nothing, son. Thank you for that CD, too. My daughter and my wife love it so much they've been abusing it every day." The doctor heartily laughed.

Michael smiled. "I'm glad they liked it."

"I hope the kid continues making them. His music is truly exceptional. Genius, even."

Michael's glistened with warmth. If only the kid was fully aware of how special he was to these people.

"My daughter keeps on telling me that she is Neah's number one fan."

Michael nodded, apprehension showed on his face. "About that, sir..."

Mr. Jenkins understood gesture. "Don't worry, my daughter understands Neah's situation. She will not tell it to anyone. But in return," – the doctor coughed, clearing his throat – "I know this is too much for me to ask, but c-can you let me have a copy of Neah's next compilation in advance? Of course I'll pay. I-I want to give it to my daughter as a present for her eleventh birthday. You and the kids are invited, of course."

A small smile was lit on Michael's face.

"I'll talk to my brother regarding the CD, Mr. Jenkins and you don't really have to pay for it. Please consider it as an early gift to the little Katrina."

"T-Thank you, Michael."

"And I'm sure Neah and the kids would be absolutely delighted to see your daughter again."

The doctor smiled, clearly pleased with his answer and bid his goodbye again.

Michael smiled briefly. "Take care, Mr. Jenkins. Say hello for Mrs. Jenkins and Katrina for me," he exclaimed as he watched the man being ushered by one of his attendant to the doctor's car.

...

It happened two years ago.

His brother, Sheril Kamelot, was a renowned music producer and owner of one of the leading recording studios in London. His fondness of Neah was notoriously known even by his own employees within the recording studio and even in Michael's mansion where he was usually seen sitting beside Neah in front of the grand piano, egging the young man to play for him.

"I'll record Neah's piano pieces, Michael," he seriously said one afternoon while they were drinking coffee inside his library.

"If it's for personal use, then by all means, brother. I'm sure Neah wouldn't mind."

Sheril shook his head. "I'm planning on releasing it to the public."

Michael gave his brother a stern look. "No."

"All the profits from the album sales would be given as donations in different orphanages in the country, Michael. I'm not going to do this for profit. Well, not really. I just want to let other people hear the wonders of Neah's music."

The word orphanage immediately broke Michael's resolve. Sheril knew that he wouldn't say no if it involves the children in the orphanages across the country. Expect his brother to use that cunning tactic on him.

But then there's still Neah. He was sure the young would throw a fit if they suddenly had so many people inside the mansion once the recoding started.

Michael smirked at Sheril.

"And what if Neah doesn't want to cooperate with you? You know he doesn't like to be around with so many people and–"

Sheril winked at him. "Don't worry, little brother. We're already done with the recording. Neah was such an enthusiastic fellow, you know?"

Michael almost sputtered the coffee he was drinking.

It turned out that Sheril did the recording _alone_ (that cunning asshole...). With the help his advance recording instruments and a lot of sticks of _mitarashii dango_, he was able to persuade Neah to play the piano while he was recording it.

"But boy... I almost ran out of the food," complained Sheril as he scratched his head. "Neah was gulping plates and plates of mitarashii dango even before the recording started."

A smug look appeared on Michael's face.

At least Neah didn't back down without a fight.

_That's my boy._

And so, after a month, Neah was officially a recording artist – albeit an anonymous one. His album, entitled _WEISS_ _(Eng) n. white, color white_ surprisingly delighted so many people and a lot of professional pianist even went to Sheril to ask for the artist's identity. And after two months, the album had sold almost billions of copies around the world and became an international sensation. With the help of Sheril, they were able to mask Neah's real identity and as the album continued to sell millions of copies, the real artist remained unknown to the world. There were rumors, of course. But Sheril managed to silent each and every one who dared messing out with his _sweet, little _Neah. How in the world did Sheril manage to do it, Michael didn't even want to know.

Well, his brother wasn't one of the most influential businessmen in the world for nothing after all.

...

Everybody was muttering silently to their selves, some were even making themselves smaller on their seats. They were all shivering in terror as they continued to listen to the unremitting sound of things breaking inside the young CEO's office. He had been like this since a tall, red haired man entered his office an hour ago. No one dared to enter the room until their soft spoken president, Froi Tiedol, came to stop his only son's violent rampage.

**tbc**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: **I own none of these characters.

* * *

><p>"So, what are we going to do today?" Michael asked, his tone was playful. He put David on the edge of the bed while Jasdero stood not far away from his little brother.<p>

David grinned at him. "We have to wake him first, Michael." The kid whispered as he looked at Neah who was still peacefully sleeping on his bed. Interestingly, his usual mop of white hair secured in a pony tail was now strewn everywhere, hiding his beautiful face.

David suggested early that morning that they wake Neah together in which Michael eagerly complied. Well, he couldn't really deny the kid's sweet request. Nor he would miss a chance to wake Neah himself.

Jasdero sat beside David and gently placed his small hand on Neah's face. "Neah looks like a polar bear. Only thinner," he said with his small voice.

"And smaller! And kinder! And cuter, too!" David giggled.

Michael smiled. He was more than glad for David's fast recovery of yesterday's event. Jasdero stared at his brother like he was wondering the same thing. Then, he looked at him and coyly smiled. He didn't say anything but Michael knew that the older kid was now slowly reaching out to him like his little brother. And that made Michael very happy.

Michael ruffled David's dark blue hair and grinned. He ushered the vivacious kid to the other side of the bed.

"We have to wake the prince now. Or we can't have breakfast." He winked at them and David's giggles grew louder.

"Neah's gonna munch all of the food again, so make sure you have a bread or two hidden under your plate, David." He heard Jasdero whispered to his brother and Michael couldn't help but chuckle.

"Neah?" Michael called to the sleeping young man, his fingers were on Neah's white, silvery hair. "Wake up now, sleepy head. We're gonna go boating this morning and we have to eat our breakfast now."

"Hey, no one said about boating. I thought we're gonna go to Uncle Sheril's place today?" David pouted his lips.

Michael almost groaned in frustration. How come all the kids love that distorted, perverted man? He was about to voice out his not-so-good opinion about his older brother when a cold hand brushed on his cheeks.

He found two wide gray, silvery orbs staring at him.

Michael momentarily forgot about the two tykes in the room and smiled. "Good morning, Neah."

"Morning, Mike," came the slow, almost muted reply.

"What do you want for breakfast today?" he asked.

Neah stopped and breathed in slowly. "Anything."

Michael chuckled as he gently patted Neah's head. "Alright then." He was about to stand when he felt a gentle yanking on his sleeve. He turned his head around and smiled. "Yes?"

Neah looked like a small kitten wrapped in sheets. "I haven't received my morning kiss yet, Mike."

Michael barked a laugh and that was when David jumped on his back, planting lots of small kisses on his cheeks.

Michael almost hit his face on Allen's forehead.

"Me too! Me too!" David shouted.

Jasdero just smiled, eyeing Michael panting and coughing, searching for his lost breath.

...

"You knocked down everything in your office with your fists, Yuu, and now you're telling me it's nothing?"

"Bad day."

"Bad day?" Tiedoll incredulously stared at his son's bandaged hands and shook his head. "I'm no fool, Yuu. I know Lavi had been here earlier and you two talked." He waited for his son to tell him what happened but Kanda remained silent.

Kanda had never been opened to him and somehow, this didn't surprise Tiedoll.

He sighed.

"You lost control. That, at least, I'm sure of. The question is; why."

Kanda scratched his head, seemingly uninterested in the conversation. "It's just a bad case of a very bad day. Nothing more." He stood and nodded at him before leaving his office.

Tiedoll slumped on his black leather chair.

Yuu wasn't always like this. There had been a time when he was as carefree as others (though immeasurably pert and rude, he believed). He rarely smiled, yes, but that was just because he was born like that. He was a quiet boy, quite mature for his age. But he could tell that his son was happy. Kanda then was a picture of a healthy young man with a healthy dream. He had a beautiful girl beside him, someone he trusted, someone he loved.

Then one day, everything changed. He didn't really know what happened back then, but when Allen Walker, the only son of the most celebrated pianist of the world, died, everything changed. The usual grumpy son of his became more withdrawn to the world. He could still remember that polite white hair kid. Allen was a good boy and he could tell that Kanda liked the kid. In fact, Allen was the very first friend he had and given his son's temperament, he still couldn't believe the friendship of the two lasted years. He, too, felt really bad upon learning what happened to him.

Tiedoll tried talking to his son but Kanda just won't speak about the awful incident. Back then, Tiedoll reckoned it was only because the memory was still fresh and he even castigated himself for being so insensitive. His son lost a precious friend and it was only normal for him to grieve the loss.

But then five years had already passed and Kanda seemed like he was still blaming himself for Allen's death. Of course, it was only a speculation in his side, and as a father, he knew that what happened to Allen was just an unfortunate accident.

It was an accident, yes, but these kinds of things, they were never logical, weren't they? Everyone seemed already moved on with their lives but he was afraid that his son was still seeing the same nightmares he saw and experience that day for some reason.

And that scared Tiedoll.

...

"I'm telling you, he's so good!" Dasiya shouted at his phone, pissed because his friend and classmate, Krory wasn't taking him seriously.

But Daisya was having none of it.

"_I've never heard of his name before. Have you searched him in the internet? There must be something, an article or whatever, about him and his music."_

"Unfortunately, there was practically nothing about him but he has so many freaking fans all over the world! Can you believe that? It's like he is purposely hiding his true identity! Isn't that freaking awesome?"

"_Er... no? Where did you first heard about this mysterious pianist anyway?"_

"From Fo. She lent me her CD."

There was a long pause.

"_From FO? The FO?"_

Daisya raised his eyebrows. "Uh, yeah? What of it?"

"_I see. It's all clear now. She's fucking with you, man. That pianist isn't real. That bitch must have been messing with you. You know her. She's insane. I'm off. See yah tomorrow."_

"Wait! Kror – damn!"

Daisya almost threw his phone across his room.

He stared at the white CD on his bed and sighed.

He pushed the play button of his iPod and played the music he ripped from Fo's CD.

Daisya closed his eyes and let his body fall on the comfort of his bed. The music began filling his ears, his mind, his heart.

It was still hauntingly beautiful.

He couldn't believe that someone who could make music like this was fucking unknown to the world.

He tried calling Fo but she wasn't answering his calls so figured she was mad.

Well, after listening to the CD, he could now fairly understand why.

He felt it, too, when Krory disregarded him a few moments ago.

...

"_Michael."_

"What?"

"_Where are the kids?! I thought you guys are going here today? I even cooked so that we can eat together like one, big happy family!"_

Michael's eyelids drooped.

"Shut up," he said.

Michael hanged up on his brother and eyed the two guilty heads on the table. They were currently eating their breakfast when the man called.

"Who called Sheril? Hmmm?" he asked, his eyes were glinting.

This made Jasdero smile. David was munching his last hotdogs and was now having a difficult time swallowing his last bite.

Neah just stared at them.

"We did," said the two brothers after recovering. Jasdero was now having a hard time hiding his growing grin and so did David.

"Why do you guys like that man so much?" he asked, defeat was apparent in his voice. He slumped on his chair again and started eating his pancakes.

"Uncle Sheril's toasts are not burnt, Uncle Michael," David said with a toothy smile.

Michael almost sputtered his food.

"T-they are not always burnt! And besides, they taste good!"

This made Neah laughed much to the kids' hilarity and Michael's growing frustration. Well, it was true that Sheril was a better cook than him...

He ought to murder Sheril this evening. Or else he would lose his sanity.

...

"How are your wounds?" Michael asked at Neah while inspecting the scratches on his face. The two of them were left after Sheril came in the house, begging for David and Jasdero. He wanted to take the kids in a marine park and as much as he wanted to bring Neah, too, they both knew it would be best for the young man to just rest in the house at the moment.

Neah didn't seem too adamant in tagging along with Sheril much to Michael's relief. He didn't know what he would do if Neah decided to come along with them.

"Fine."

"They don't hurt?"

Neah gently shook his head.

Michael smiled. "That's good."

"Can we play the piano? Together?" Neah asked shyly, his hands were fidgeting on his lap.

Michael chuckled. "Of course, we can." He was about to ruffle Neah's hair when his phone rang again.

It was a text message.

_I'm going to Ireland first thing in the morning. See you,_ it said.

"Who was it, Mike?" Neah asked.

"Noise Marie. An old friend of mine. He said he's visiting tomorrow."

**TBC**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** I own none of these characters.

**April/13/2013** – Edited. Some of the blasted sentences were jumbled for some annoying reason. I fixed it now. Sorry for the uncalled rumpus. Next chapter is ready for upload next week. Now writing Chapter 14.

* * *

><p>The rustling of trees woke Kanda. He blinked his eyes as they adjusted to the darkness of his room. His head felt so light and his fingers felt so numb he could barely move them.<p>

He remembered going to bed early that night and yet sleep remained difficult to achieve. He could close his eyes but the annoying fact that he was still awake despite the comfort of his bed pissed him to no end.

He looked at the clock on the wall and sighed. It was only two in the morning. Sleep eluded him again. It had been so long since he had a full eight hour of sleep that he couldn't remember sleeping that long now. Naps weren't enough, that he knew, but they were much better than not sleeping at all.

He tried clenching and unclenching his fist to regain the strength of his fingers as he continued adjusting his eyes to the darkness.

_"Are you alright, Kanda?"_ A soft voice suddenly echoed in his room. Kanda breathed out. His numb nerves started to calm enabling him to move as he pleased.

And so, he nodded his head to the question that only he could hear.

And he was, really, if not only for his blasted incoming headache.

He was quite alright.

_"You look pale. Are you sleeping enough?"_

Kanda closed his eyes, listening intently at the worried voice.

Sleep had been his number one problem since... the accident.

_"You know, I've finished writing a new song and the students love it!" _the cheery voice said, making Kanda forget the time.

He slowly breathed in, inhaling the musky scent of his room.

_ "And you know what? Tim ate my newly bought shoes yesterday! I was going to wear it to class next week. Good thing Lenalee bought me a new pair. I told her I would pay for it but she insisted it was a gift." _The voice laughed and Kanda hope it wouldn't end too soon.

He needed more of this.

More than ever.

"_I also planted a new plant in my garden but I doubt it'll grow." _The laughter on the voice never ceased. It sounded so jovial, so innocent and carefree.

Kanda's hands clenched on his sides.

_"I'll cook your favorite miso soup tomorrow. You like miso soup, right?"_

Kanda felt panic washed over him. He knew it would soon end.

Please, stay a little bit more.

Just a little bit more.

"_Take care of yourself, alright?"_

Kanda opened his eyes, panting. His hand was outstretched in the air.

Pain and frustration showed on his face as he banged the bed with his fists. It seemed so real. Every time this happened, Kanda couldn't help to think how real it had been.

The voice. The soft, caring voice he had been hearing again and again in his sleep deprived nights.

It was so fucked up.

Pathetic.

...

Noise Marie, a respectable music professor from England, was Michael's friend since college days. They had nothing in common except their love and passion to music and that, perhaps, bonded their paths.

"What brought you here, Marie?"

Noise Marie chuckled as he watched his old friend raised his eyebrows on him like he just visited to give him the prank of the century. "You've never changed, Tykki. Still as hostile as ever, huh."

Noise Marie remained adamant on calling him in his native name, Tykki, even after finishing their bachelor's degree. His name Michael (the one he used after graduating in college and getting a fine job in Ireland where his big brother, Sheril lived) came from his last name, Mikk. It was actually Sheril's idea and well, 'Michael' sounded more englishy than 'Tykki Mikk' and he needed his future clients to be comfortable with him and that was when he decided to officially adapt the name.

Michael just shrugged off the comment. They were more of colleagues than friends after all.

"Can you answer my question first?"

Noise Marie hummed. "Well, it depends. Are you going to let me in or should we spend the rest of our day here in front of your door, measuring each other?"

Tykki clicked his tongue. The bastard.

"Fine, get in."

The two finally reached the living room and Tykki immediately regretted it when he saw Neah staring back at him in the room. He was sitting in the sofa while eating his favorite potato chips.

"Well, well, well... what do we have here?" Noise said, pleasantly pleased to see the young prodigy who rocked the world with his melodious and gently music. "It's nice to finally meet you, Neah."

Neah blinked, his eyes were alternating on Tykki and his guest.

"Uhm... thank you," he meekly said as he watched Noise sat near him. "Are you Noise Marie, sir?"

"Yes, I am."

"Are you friends with Mike?"

"No –"

"Yes –"

Neah blinked in confusion. "W-what?"

"Yes, we ARE friends –"

"We're NOT friends –"

Tykki wanted to howl in frustration. He glared at Marie and clenched his teeth, trying to convey his message to the music professor which, by the way, was blatantly ignored.

Noise Marie was keenly smiling at Neah like he had just seen a newly invented music instrument in front of him.

"Don't mind Tykki. We're friends. We are actually best of friend back in college," said the man.

If Noise Marie's objective was to royally piss Tykki off, well, he was absolutely doing a great job so far.

"If that's true, why is Mike hissing behind you? And why are you calling him Tykki? His name is Michael."

Noise waved his hand in the air. "Oh, that? He loves to do that. He was known as the hissing prince when we are still students, you know?"

"Hey!" Tykki hissed.

"See?" Noise cheerfully said.

Neah smiled. "You're funny, sir."

...

"Seriously, why the hell are you here?" Tykki asked annoyed by the fact that Noise was going to stay in his house for a week and that Allen seemed to like him. The latter pissed him the most, by the way.

Noise Marie slowly sipped his Darjeeling tea. "Well, I have to talk to Sheril. A sort of business proposal. Then, I reckoned I'll be taking a break for a while since I'm going back next month in England. I've been far away for far too long now and the school is probably waiting for me now."

Tykki scoffed. "Then why don't you crash on Sheril's place and not mine?"

"We're classmates, remember?"

"That was already five years ago, Marie. Still hung up on that?"

"Are you admitting you're getting old now?"

Tykki gritted his teeth. "Shut up."

Noise Marie chuckled. "I won't do anything, promise."

"You better not."

"Neah's face looks a little swollen. What happened?" Marie asked when Tykki finally calmed down after a few minutes of debating with himself whether he could really stay or not. Noise Marie immediately dropped Neah's name and his possible reactions once he learned that his Mike shooed his 'funny' guest away. This, by the way, earned Noise Marie almost a century of death glares from the man but well, it made Tykki a little compliant and looked away.

Marie sighed and castigated himself for prying. He knew he shouldn't but seeing the lovely Neah like that was stirring something inside him.

He had known about Neah condition three years ago when he accidently stumbled upon Tykki's unusual guest in his home while he was visiting his old friend.

The kid deserved so much and yet...

Life was really cruel.

...

"This is annoying," Daisya said as he looked at his math notebook. He had been doing his assignment for God knew how long now and yet he hadn't even finish the first half of the blasted thing.

"Well, not as annoying as having you as a cousin."

Daisya's eyes reduced to slits as he eyed the person sitting next to him. "What did you just say?"

"You heard me just fine," Lavi scoffed as he brought the straw of his melon juice on his lips.

Daisya smirked when he finally understood what was this all about. Hah. The man was sour graping. "You still can't get away, cous," he devilishly said, the smirk he had on his face was inerasable.

"But I have a date!"

"Didn't I already tell you that I don't freaking care?"

"You're a monster!"

"And you're an irresponsible adult!"

Lavi pouted. "It's not as if I'll be gone for the whole day. Lenalee invited me for lunch and she SELDOM invites me!" Lavi made gagging noise and then his imaginary tears broke out. "Why can't you understand me, Dais?"

"And why can't you understand that I need you here because I can't do my assignment and be your freaking lackey all at once!"

"You're a monster! I have a life, you know! I can't be cooped up in this place forever! I need to fly!"

"Then fly," Daisya faced his older cousin as he made his face unreadable. "But don't blame me if this shop of yours caught a fire. I am a kid and no one would hold me responsible for an accident, you know."

"C'mon, you're just doodling. You've been doing that even before I sat here, you know."

Daisya bit his lips. "I'm not doodling. I'm doing my assignment." Okay, fine. Maybe math is a little too hard for him, really, but it didn't mean he was doodling. He was doing everything he could to finish the damn thing and –

"See here? Your pad is full of doodles."

– and his notebook his, indeed, full of doodles.

"S-SHUT UP!"

A few minutes of silenced passed between them before Daisya spoke again.

"Lavi?"

"Hmm?"

"Who's Allen Walker?"

Diasya saw Lavi ashen at the question, something he didn't expect to happen. "Lavi?"

The next thing he knew, his cousin was looking away.

Daisya immediately felt the need to explain. "I-I was cleaning your room yesterday when a box fell on my head."

"You saw the letters?"

Daisya nodded. "I'm sorry."

Lavi sighed. "It's alright. He's a friend."

"Is he a... music student?" Dasiya saw a lot of music sheets within the letters and curiosity instantly wrapped him. The music notes looked so intricately well-made and he couldn't wait to try them on his piano.

"A music teacher."

Daisya blinked. Slightly confused.

"How come I didn't know him?" he asked. He had known almost all people associated with Lavi and he couldn't believe he actually didn't know this music teacher.

Lavi stood as he scratched his head. "You met me three years ago, right?"

"Yes."

"Allen died two years prior your arrival."

* * *

><p><strong>TBC<strong>


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: **I own none of these characters.

As I promised, here's chapter 13.

I truly appreciate those who still read and review this crappy story of mine. Thank you so much for your patience and support.

* * *

><p>Daisya didn't speak for a moment as he drank in what Lavi had said.<p>

So that was the reason why.

He bit his lips.

"I'm sorry," he said, diffident.

Lavi just grinned at him and ruffled his hair. "'The hell are you saying sorry for? It's already in the past."

Lavi's words didn't give Daisya any comfort.

The red haired sighed as he looked at his cousin's glum face. "C'mon, stop that. 'Sides, Allen wouldn't want you to feel that way towards his passing. He's a great, kind friend. Though kind of an airhead, you know?" Lavi laughed.

Daisya looked his cousin. "What happened?" He knew he was not supposed to aggravate his offense but he just couldn't help asking.

Lavi contemplated for a moment before sitting next to him again. "It's an accident. He fell over the cliff."

Daisya gasped.

"We're on a vacation on a friend's house and well, things happened and 'bam!' we lost him."

Dasiya remained silent.

Lavi continued. "We were five in the group. Lena, Alma, me, Kanda, and Allen. It was raining so hard and uhm, Kanda and Lena kind of got in a fight and they drove in the rain."

Daisya listened intently as Lavi narrated the whole thing as if he was still there and he was seeing it unfolding in front of his eyes. He said he didn't really saw what happened to Allen and that no one had seen what truly happened except Alma who told them the whole story. Lavi said she was hysterical when they first found her and she kept on saying Allen's name and that he was going to die if they don't help him immediately.

And then there was Lavi's distant friend, Kanda Yuu.

Lavi said he didn't know exactly what Kanda saw that afternoon but when he came back later that night, and Kanda wasn't speaking to them anymore. He wouldn't speak to Lavi and Alma and he didn't fight back when Lenalee started spitting curses in the air telling him how all was his fault.

When Daisya asked if they found Allen's body, his cousin despondently looked at him and said no.

There had been a search operation for a week but unfortunately, they couldn't find his body.

Later, the police ruled out the case as an accident seeing how hysterical Alma had been throughout the searching. She was crying nonstop and her parents had to sedate her and confined him to hospital to stop her frequent episodes.

"Where is she now?" Daisya asked afterwards.

Lavi shrugged his shoulders. "I've heard Alma is now working in an art museum or something."

"Alma, the former model?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I don't exactly know why," Lavi sighed.

Lavi stopped for a while, muttering to himself. "Well, I was actually kind of lying when I said I didn't know the reason why Alma quitted in modeling."

He knew that Lenalee was blaming Alma and Kanda for Allen's death no matter how unreasonable that was seeing that what happened back there was an accident.

But if there was one thing that baffling him the most was the fact that Kanda and Alma separated after the incident. He had hunches before but now, after seeing Kanda like that, he had now proof.

Alma and Kanda never got together again.

But why?

As far as he knew, Allen's death affected Alma so much but maybe, it affected Kanda, too?

"_Don't be stupid," Lenalee snapped at him. They were having lunch together on afternoon when Lavi brought up the matter. "Nothing, not even his friend's death, would affect that man. He's made of stone and he can die now for all I care."_

"_But he wanted to marry Alma. He loves her so much and even I can testify to that." Lavi countered feeling perplexed about the whole matter. "A couple of years, tops, and he could ask Alma again but five years had already passed and... nothing."_

_Lenalee bit her sandwich. "You're over thinking, that's what you doing. It's so simple you know. Alma doesn't want to marry anymore. And a woman who doesn't want to marry couldn't be forced to marry no matter what." _

_Then, Lenalee's tone changed. "Besides, her conscience probably couldn't handle what happened and he couldn't bear be happy when she knows that she killed a kind man who had a fine future ahead of him."_

Lavi didn't know what to think anymore.

He looked at Daisya and smiled.

"Do you want those music sheets?" he asked.

His cousin looked like he didn't know what to say.

"Know what? I'll give them to ya," he smiled as he stood.

"A-are you sure?"

Lavi looked back at him. "Why not? You can use it and I can't. All I ever did with those letters were to place them in a cold, dark place, and they just continued accumulating dust webs. They are better off in your hands. Allen would be so happy, for sure."

...

"Hey."

"_What's up?"_ said the voice in the other line, yawning.

Krory scratched his head. "Daisya called me last night and he was saying something about a new pianist... I mean, I haven't seen him so focused on a pianist before. Besides the _antiques_, of course."

It was bugging him since last night and he couldn't get it out of his head so he decided to call his friend.

"_What of it?"_

"Do you know someone named 'Neah'?"

"_Yeah. I have his album. Released last year. Why? I didn't know you're interested in music artists with no names in the industry."_

"Shut up, man. Anyway, I-Is he really that good? That Neah."

"_I think you misunderstood me when I said, 'music artists with no names'. _

"What do you mean?"

"_He's the real thing. It's like Beethoven-Liszt-Chopin in one body playing the piano."_

"He's that good?"

"_Mooore than that. You won't probably understand until you hear him play."_

"Daisya said that to me, too."

"_Then you should probably listen now. We're not kidding when we say he's fucking good."_

"He said that one, too. Minus, of course, the curse –"

"_Do you want to hear him play or not?"_

"I would love to."

"_My place. This afternoon. Bring snacks."_

"Right."

...

Daisya yawned as he made his way to his classroom that morning. He just wanted to sleep today but he owed Fo an apology so he reckoned it'd be best if he just say it straight today. He was up until three in the morning playing the piano and his whole back hurts now. He raised his arms in the air, stretching his muscles as far as he could when someone slapped him on his back, almost crashing him on the ground.

"What the effing fuck was that?!" he hollered.

It was Fo. She was munching a banana. Again.

"Yo."

Dasiya blinked, not knowing what to say. "Err..."

"I am sorry I hung up on you last, last night. My brother came to into my room wearing my bra and panty and I just had to talk to him."

"W-What?"

"Nah. It's nothing. Don't mind me."

Daisya nodded, still freaking out by the last information he heard. "Anyway, I-I'm sorry that I was such a jerk, too, and –" he stopped and stared at Fo. "What did you just say?"

Fo blinked. "'Nah. It's nothing. Don't mind me'?"

"No, the other one."

"My brother came into my room wearing my bra and panty and I had to talk –"

"No! The other, other one!" Daisya shrieked.

"Ah. The I-hung-up-on-you-last-night thingy?"

Dasiya sighed. "That one."

"What of it?" Fo bit the remaining banana in her hands before he swiped clean his fingers.

"You're not angry at me?"

"Why would I be?"

Dasiya figeted. "Well, I was a jerk for not listening to you..."

"Did I say something? I don't remember." Now, Fo looked like genuinely confused and Daisya just wanted to smack himself for making himself looked like a complete idiot.

"You know what? Never mind," he said. "Anyway, I love the CD, man. It's so good."

He saw Fo smiled. "Told ya. It's awesome, isn't it?"

"You bet. 'Been listening to it since I first played it and heck, I still can't get enough of it."

"You listened to every track?"

Dasiya grinned. "Of course."

Fo just chuckled. "Glad to hear that."

"So, where did you find his album? I looked for it in the internet but they don't accept orders now. I haven't tried going to music stores though –"

"You won't find it there."

"Why?"

"Neah's album is so rare now."

"So, where did you get yours?"

Fo smiled. "Bak."

Diasya blinked. "Bak?"

"He gave it to me last Christmas."

"Oh."

"It's a gift. He destroyed my doll house last winter and I told him I wouldn't forgive him again if he wouldn't be able to fix it."

Daisya wasn't really sure where this conversation was heading but he asked anyway. "Was he... able to fix it?"

"Nope."

_Wait a freaking minute._

Irritation slowly crawled up on his ass. "What does this has to do with Neah's album?"

"I haven't finished the story yet," Fo frowned. "As I was saying, Bak couldn't fix it so he had to give me something else."

Dasiya sighed. "So, he gave you the CD."

Fo shook her head. "No. Bak doesn't know anything about music. He doesn't even know the difference between mp3 and mp4 –"

"WHY DON'T YOU JUST TELL ME WHERE YOU GOT THE BLASTED ALBUM?"

Fo frowned at him again. "I was almost there, you know."

"Just tell me!"

Fo raised her hands. "Fine. I asked Bak to ask his friend to buy it."

A tiny hope peeked on Daisya's heart. "And did you know where he bought it?"

"I dunno."

Daisya slowly turned around.

"Hey, where're you going?" he heard her called out to him.

Like a defeated warrior, Daisya raised his hands. "Don't stop me. Just let me peacefully walk away, Fo. I'm sorry I even asked you."

"Don't worry, man. It's fine."

He just gave her a loud, painfully long sigh.

* * *

><p><strong>TBC<strong>


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: **I own none of these characters.

* * *

><p><em>The last thing they did was argue. <em>

_He thought about his best friend and what kind of a lousy friend he had been to her. _

'_I'm going to die. Right here. Right now. And I couldn't even say goodbye to Lenalee.'_

_He laughed, thinking the irony of it all. But he couldn't feel any bitterness towards Alma. He wondered why. 'She doesn't know anything, after all.' _

_He was the sinner here. _

_If he wasn't dangling here to his death, he would have laughed. _

_He would have laughed so much. _

_A small tear made it way to his left cheek. _

'_What the bloody hell am I doing?'_

_He's going to die and he was thinking of these shitty things?_

'_Why not? I should leave happy. I've been too sad these past few years. I should be rejoicing that it will all soon end. Right? I should have composed something happy for a change.'_

_He smiled._

_He definitely would miss playing the piano._

_If only he could take it with him..._

_Then..._

_Then..._

...

It was his father again. He was sitting quite comfortably inside his office when he arrived that morning.

Kanda wanted to growl but he stopped himself.

He had made himself quite a fool in front of the old man last time. He couldn't afford to drench his ego further.

"Are you thinking straight now?" Tiedolll asked, his face was neutral. As if he was trying to access Kanda's mood like he was freaking animal.

Kanda sighed.

"Yeah."

"You're not going to throw a tantrum on me, aren't you?"

Kanda almost banged his head on his desk. "No."

"Good. I'm going to ask you out this afternoon."

"WHAT?"

His father seldom asked him out – wait... did his father ever ask him out in the past?

Kanda momentarily stopped.

No.

His father had never asked him out before.

This was the first time.

And he wasn't a bit thrilled.

"We're gonna go somewhere," the old man said and there was a conclusiveness in his voice.

"Where?"Kanda asked, scratching his head. He still had so many things to do, so many documents to sign and –

"Henry will be coming for you 4pm sharp this afternoon."

"But I can't –"

Tiedoll cut him out, "I'm sure you can push some of your appointments."

_Push_ some of his appointments? Was his old man kidding? "I can't do that –"

"Of course you can, son." Tiedoll stood, walking in the door. "I'll be waiting for you."

Tiedoll left his son quite shocked, mouth hanging in bewilderment.

Kanda was utterly bemused.

When was the last time his father ever caught him off guard like this?

He couldn't even remember anymore.

And yet it still felt so awful.

Kanda grimaced.

...

Daisya had never felt this excited before. Oh, well he did but not really _this_ excited. He was holding in his hands the music notes of Lavi's friend. It had been three days since his cousin told him the story of Allen Walker and until now, he still couldn't believe that someone so amazing was already... you know. Allen, according to Lavi, was a great pianist. Well, Lavi was not particularly interested in anything piano but Daisya could feel the admiration in his voice whenever he speaks of his late friend.

_You should have heard him play that thing. It was so... beautiful. _

And now, Daisya was holding one of Allen's original pieces in his hands.

"_Are you sure I can use these?" Daisya asked, hesitant. "I-I mean, these are..."_

"_Are you going to publish it as yours?" Lavi asked, smiling._

_Daisya shook his head like there was no tomorrow, his eyes widening. "Of course not –!"_

"_Then it's okay."_

Daisya opened the top lid of his piano and began to play.

Outside Daisya's room, Lavi was seen smiling to himself as he muttered some words in the air.

A silent prayer he was dreaming of saying one day to his good, old friend.

...

...

...

_Welcome back, Allen. _

...

...

...

Henry came a lot earlier than Kanda had expected.

"I thought 4pm sharp?" he asked, irritated. It was only what, three and Henry was already hovering in his office like a starved mosquito. He had nothing against Henry but the frustration he had been feeling since his father came into the office this morning was now slowly building up inside him, wrecking his mind.

The man bowed and Kanda immediately regretted his behavior.

"Pardon my intrusion, sir. If you want I could wait for you outside and–"

"No. You can wait for me here." Kanda sighed, his hands massaging his temple. "The old man told you to come hear an hour earlier," he said.

Henry merely bowed again, not really answering his unasked inquiry.

What was the point of being rude to Henry? He knew he couldn't really say no to his father right now given his uncouth manners last week.

"I'm sorry, Henry. I didn't mean to take it on you. I didn't mean to raise my voice," Kanda apologized sincerely. Henry had been around them for almost twenty years now and he was almost a family.

"Don't worry about it, sir."

Kanda just sighed again.

...

Kanda had no idea where his father would be taking him and well, he wouldn't let himself ask about it now. He was better than that.

"I thought you're going to run, you know?" his father said, smirking.

"It doesn't mean you have to send Henry there hours earlier. The man is busy, too, you know," he answered, his face was impassive.

Henry remained silence in the driver's seat and Tiedoll just laughed.

Kanda never said anything again for the rest of their trip.

After half an hour, the car stopped in front of a tall, white building. The three of them entered the premises and rode the elevator silently.

"Aren't you going to ask what we will be doing here?" His father asked him after a few seconds of stillness inside.

Kanda wanted to roll his eyes in exasperation.

"You told me not to ask."

His father smiled. "Well, I guess I did say that."

The elevator opened and Kanda was the first to exit. He didn't want his father to ask questions that will only fuel his annoyance. He looked around, trying to figure out where they were. But the place was unfamiliar to him and it certainly didn't look like there were restaurants inside.

There was a middle age man, maybe in his late 40s, who greeted them in front of a large door. The man invited them to enter and that was when Kanda saw at least fifty grand pianos sitting in a large, open room. A few people inside stopped when they came in.

He glanced at his father while the bewilderment inside of him grew.

At the same time, a familiar white haired man appeared in his thoughts.

A melodious melody started playing in his ears and –

Kanda shook his head. _Not now. _

"We are already done arranging your purchase, sir." Kanda heard the man said to his father. Purchase? What did Tiedoll purchase to this man? He badly wanted to ask Henry who was just inches away from him but he constrained himself.

He could ask if he really wanted, but he didn't want to.

He didn't want to give his father a sense of satisfaction this time.

Childish, yeah.

But Kanda didn't really care.

He found himself chewing his lips in yet another reason to be infuriated.

And then he saw _it._

Even he couldn't believe that he still could recognize it after all these years. It had been so long since he last saw it.

And yet it was still looked so beautifully intricate.

In an instance, it took Kanda's breath away.

He mindlessly walked towards it, his eyes were glued to its majestic beauty.

It didn't change.

Air suddenly left his chest and a familiar clawing sadness made its way to his heart.

In front of him was Allen's white grand piano – the one that Allen loved so much when he was still a child. It was the same piano Mana used to teach him way, way back.

And it was for sale.

"You recognize it, don't you?" a voice asked.

Kanda looked at his father, agape, his heart aching.

_What is it doing here?_

_Why is it for sale?_

There were so many things he wanted to ask his father but Kanda couldn't.

He was too afraid to hear the answers.

Kanda remained silent for the rest of their journey home.

And somehow, Kanda was thankful that his father didn't say anything to him after that.

Maybe Tiedoll saw something in him that time that he decided to keep his mouth shut. Or maybe his father saw the desperate but voiceless plea in his eyes, silencing the words in his mouth.

All because he didn't want to hear it.

Kanda's hands were shaking. His eyes were unseeing.

Kanda's lips twitched, the coldness of the air-conditioning inside the car was freezing him.

Tiedoll might have remained hushed, enabling Kanda to forestall the information about the white grand piano but there was something else in his mind now – more cutting than the truth he didn't want to hear from his father.

Mana Walker was now moving forward, that he somewhat knew. And he was moving forward without Allen's memories.

Kanda's fists clenched on his sides.

Why did knowing that hurt him?

Why?

* * *

><p><strong>tbc<strong>


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: **I own none of these characters.

* * *

><p><em>There are people you need to leave behind,<br>They just dirty up your mouth,  
>They don't value your treasure.<br>You fall down, you kiss up, you love them. It's not enough.  
>They're nothing special and you're such a gift.<br>If you had no magic here you'd be just like everyone else.  
>Imagine the tragedy.<br>You must change your life. You are never ready._

_Love is like crying like writing like dying.  
>You have to do it alone.<em>

_I know it's tragic to be tender.  
>I know it's dangerous to be kind.<br>I know it's vicious to care._

_Listen to me. I know what's going to happen to you.  
>You don't need a window, you need a fire escape.<br>You'll need a skylight to get where you're going.  
>I can't tell you where.<em>

— **Nicole Blackman, "You Are Never Ready"**

* * *

><p>He was dreaming.<p>

He felt himself slowly becoming numb under the comfort of his quilt and bed.

He had seen this scene before – years ago, in fact. And yet it was unfolding yet again in front of his eyes as if it had only happened yesterday.

There was a loud gushing of water below him. This time, he was watching from above as the water fall below the dark cliff. He had dreamt this scene so many times before, had watched it unfold from so many different viewpoints... and yet everything still looked so grim and horrifyingly real.

_He watched himself walking in the forest alone; a large bag was perched on his back. He remembered saying to himself back then that climbing a mountain after a storm was never a good idea and yet that didn't deterred him from accomplishing his task. He wanted to capture the rising of the sun in the highest peak of that mountain no matter what. It would be useful, he reasoned to himself, as he trekked forward. He was working as an assistant for the creative director under his brother's order at that time. They needed a fresh idea for an artist's new album that was due to released next month and he immediately thought the words 'fresh start' as a theme for the album's cover. He didn't tell it to his brother yet for he wanted to be sure about the concept first. He would shoulder the work for the meantime. For now, he had to capture that moment first before he could proceed to his work. He needed this piece badly and though he could just order someone to do the work for him, he didn't do it. He wanted to accomplish this himself because that was just how things work around him. He was the brother of the youngest owner of a flourishing recording studio and he didn't want the title to hinder himself from exploring his own capabilities. _

_He didn't really want to admit it but he knew he needed to do something to be able to prove to himself that he could also triumph on his own – without using his brother's influence. _

_It was not an easy feat, yes, but the results were always fulfilling. _

_It made him try harder and harder and harder. _

_Music was his life. And if you were doing something you truly loved in the first place, it made everything much easier. _

_After walking for almost an hour, he could almost see the peak of the mountain. He looked at his watch and smiled. It was five in the morning. The sun, according to his source, would rise at exactly 5:45. He still had ample time to prepare his things. The mountain wasn't really that high and climbing was easy even for amateurs like him. The soft ground, however, made the difference. He could easily stumble had he set his foot in a wrong place. _

_But he pushed away those thoughts in the deepest recesses of his mind. He was here now and that was more important. He would call his brother right after he finish taking pictures of the sunrise. He smiled to himself again thinking how his brother would take his little stunt. _

_After setting his bag pack on dry land, he started pulling out his camera. The preparation only took a few minutes so he decided to take a few pictures of the mountain peak. Pleased with his shots, he looked at his wrist watch again, watching the slow ticking of time. _

_After a few minutes, the darkness enveloping the place slowly left, making the sceneries above more breathtaking. He decided to take a few shots more, hoping he could see some of them in his future projects. _

_And then the sun finally rose in the horizon like he never seen it rose before. He stretched him arms as if trying to enclose the sun in his hands. It was, indeed, a magnificent display of greatness and he marveled at how grand nature was. _

_He didn't any waste any second as he started taking pictures of the fleeting moment where he was standing in front of the great sun rising in the horizon like a well-slept king. _

_He made some adjustments to his camera and that was when he finally noticed it. _

_Coldness wrapped on his whole being as his hands began to shake. _

_Below the cliff where he was standing was an outline of a person sprawled on the ground near the gushing water of a nearby river. _

_..._

_He didn't really know what happened next or how long did he trek down the mountain to see if his eyes weren't just playing tricks on him. All he knew was that his heart was beating faster than normal and he an unfamiliar fear was now coating his chest. _

_There could be a dead person below him –_

_He shook his head, his eyes hardening as his pace quickened even more. _

_He shouldn't think negative thoughts at times like this. He would give whatever help he could extend to the injured individual – _

_He was almost there. _

_He could already hear the silent gushing of the water below and – 'faster, legs. Damn it!'_

_And there he was._

_The body was being rocked back and forth by the river's slow current as his lower body was still dipped in the water._

_His eyes widened in horror as he took in the young man's injuries. _

_There were just too many wounds on his small, lithe body. He was afraid that a lot of his bones were broken, too, in every corner of his body, based on the way he was sprawled on the ground. The left side of his face, too. And his left arm..._

_Horribly mutilated. _

_He winced, a bile forming in his throat. _

_He immediately placed his left ear on his drenched chest and listened carefully for any sign of a beating heart. _

_He almost flinched when he heard–felt it. It was faint, yes, but his heart was still beating. _

_He almost sighed in relief. _

_Almost. For he couldn't deny that in his current state, it was almost a miracle that the young man was even alive. _

_He took off his jacket and rested in on the man's upper body, hoping to give him some warmth. _

_Still trembling, he immediately dug into his pockets searching for his phone; his eyes were never leaving the injured person in front of him. _

_He watched his chest slowly raise and fall, afraid it would all end soon for the young man. His eyes finally rested on the stranger's beautiful face. He didn't know why but something cold just suddenly ran up into his spine upon seeing how peaceful his marred countenance was. _

_As if he already accepted his fate._

_His face was holding a kind of resolve you would only see from people who had experienced so much pain in life and death was the only way to liberation. _


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** I own none of these characters.

* * *

><p><em>Footsteps. <em>

_There were many hurried footsteps echoing in his ears, making his eyes twitched. _

_Tyki opened his eyes, feeling the aching on his back grew larger. Wincing, he slowly opened his eyes and he found himself badly slouched in a cold plastic chair. He growled, his right hand making its way on his back, hoping to ease some of the pain. He felt so stiff. What the hell was he doing falling asleep in a–_

_Hospital. _

_His eyes widened as he scanned the place. _

_He was in a hospital. _

_He immediately stood, his bag pack falling on the floor as he ignored the prickling pain on his back. _

_He looked at his wristwatch. Twelve in the afternoon. No wonder his head hurts. _

_He swung his body out of the long chair, his feet gradually lowering on the floor. Damn. His head really hurt –_

"_Tyki?"_

_His golden eyes searched for the owner of the familiar voice. "I'm fine," he said, answering the unasked question. _

"_What happened?" Sheril asked, his eyes were scanning Tyki for any injuries. "Hewley suddenly called me saying you were in an accident and – fuck." He sat beside his younger brother, seemingly too tired to get angry about the wrong information. "I'll kill that twerp, really. I rushed in here in my PJs and _fuck_. I probably looked like a moron running in the corridor in _these_."_

"_You look dashing as ever, Brother."_

"_Shut up."_

_Tyki just sighed, a small smirk was playing on his lips. _

"_So, what really happened? Who is in there?" Sheril asked, his head was pointing in the emergency room. _

"_I don't really know."_

"_Stranger, huh."_

_Tyki just nodded._

"_Where did you find him?"_

"_At the bottom of the mountain."_

"_Early this morning?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_What were you doing in there in that wee hour of –"_

"_Working."_

_Sheril's eye twitched. "Working?" he repeated. _

"_Working."_

"_Working, my ass –"_

"_I was thinking on capturing the sunrise for the cover of the album."_

"_After a freaking storm? Are you nuts? You know how dangerous the mountain top after rain and –"_

"_Nothing happened, alright? At least not to me."_

"_And what if that stranger's assailants were still around when you got there, what would you do? Bang them with your fucking camera and play the stupid hero–"_

"_I left in on the top of the mountain."_

_Sheril's mouth twitched at this time, supposedly indiscernible veins were protruding on his forehead. "'Left' you said?"_

"_It's still there, I supposed."_

_Sheril let out a frustrated growl that made a few passing nurses stare at them incredulously. _

"_We're gonna talk about this later. Don't think I will let you off the hook that easily just because you saved a stranger, capisce?"_

"_Loud and clear, Bro."_

"_You really know how to fucking annoy me, you know."_

"_Yes, I know."_

"_Fuck you."_

"_You're welcome, Sheril."_

_Sheril groaned in frustration. _

"_Don't do that. You're scaring your potential spouse." Tyki looked around and all he could see was strange looks from the women in white. _

_Yep. They all looked... pretty interested. _

"_I Don't care. I hate nurses anyway," his brother mumbled as he started to yawn like he had no care in the world. "You fucking need sleep, Tyki. You look like shit."_

_He didn't answer. Tyki just stared ahead; his mind was still occupied by the blood soaked countenance of the young man he just saved in the mountains hours ago. _

...

"_He's out of danger now but I'm afraid we still have to keep him around for a month for lab tests and other examinations."_

"_But why isn't he waking up yet?" Tyki asked, his eyes were lingering on the awkward stillness of the patient on the bed. "It's been a week already."_

_The doctor sighed. "That we do not know. We are still testing him for head injuries."_

"_How about the lacerations on his arm and cheek?" _

"_Still treating it as of now. They are very deep and about his left cheek..."_

_Tyki knew it. He just knew it._

"_Is his eyesight going to suffer?"_

"_The left eye, yes."_

"_Totally blind?"_

_The doctor shook his head. "We are still not sure. I guess we'll have to wait until he wakes up."_

_Tyki just nodded."Thank you, Doc."_

_The doctor tapped his shoulder before leaving the room._

_Tyki was left alone with the white haired man again. He sat beside the bed. _

"_Uhm, hi," he said, feeling idiotic already. But he continued anyway. "I'm here again. My name's Michael. You remember me?"_

_A silent beeping sound answered him._

_He smiled._

"_Yeah. I was the one who visited you yesterday. And the day before that. And before that." Tyki smiled to himself._

_Tyki continued telling him random information about himself and how he ended up in the music industry. He told him his dreams and how he badly wanted to prove himself to other people and to his brother that he wasn't just a mere decoration. There were so many things he told to the white haired stranger, things that he would just normally keep to himself. _

_And what surprised him the most was that he knew he wanted him to actually hear him. _

"_When will you let me see your eyes?" he said almost to himself. He let his hand hovered on the patient's bandaged face and touched the uncovered surface._

TBC


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: **After missing for God knows how long, I still own nothing. The long absence made me quite rusty and stupid so pardon for any grammar mistakes and whatnot.

…

_"It's like coming home after a long trip._

_That's what love is like. It's like coming home."_

— **Piper Chapman - What is love?**

…

"He's awake."

Tyki almost sputtered his coffee.

He looked at his brother with wide-eyed eyes.

"He's _what?_"

"The young man is awake," his brother repeated with a hint of amusement on his voice. "And he's looking for you."

"Bullshit, Sheril."

"I'm telling the truth. The nurses said the first thing he did when he woke up this morning was to look for someone named 'Michael'."

Tyki couldn't move. He couldn't breathe either.

Obviously, his brother was toying with him. And why not? Sheril knew his little brother's _daily _escapades in the hospital.

"Seriously, you told him your English name?" Sheril said, smirking annoyingly. "_Seriously?_"

Tyki glared at Sheril as he pulled his coat at resting at the nearby chair. "Michael sounds more familiar," he said. It was not as if he hated his real name or anything.

"And Tyki is not?"

"I'm going now, Brother," he said, not answering the question and leaving the still smirking Sheril behind.

"Careful, Tyki. We don't want the boy falling for you, alright?"

Tyki just muttered a silent 'shut up' as he opened the door to their garage.

...

Tyki would have never thought the stranger whom he brought from the mountains was now wide awake.

He was looking at him with his half-lidded yet curious eyes. As if he knew him.

Did he know that he was the one who kept on talking to him while he's asleep?

Tyki looked at the doctor inside the room. The silent question he was dying to ask was shown on his face.

_Does he remember anything?_

Unfortunately, the doctor just shook his head.

He didn't know which nurse Sheril was referring to but he was itching to ask the entire hospital staff if what his freaky brother had said to him was true.

Did he really call his name?

Tyki looked at the pale young man on the bed again. "I'm Michael. I'm glad you're finally awake," he said, hopeful.

But the young man remained silent for the rest of his visit. His beautiful eyes never wandered too far away from him, though and Tyki couldn't help but fidget like a goddamn little girl in front of his first crush.

Maybe Sheril was just messing with him. Or maybe he was told wrong by the nurses. Or the nurses were just toying with him.

Even so, he was glad that the young man was finally awake.

It was when he was about to leave when he finally heard it. He looked back and he saw the young man staring at him again, his mouth slightly opened.

Tyki's eyes widened. His mouth quivered.

He heard it.

He really heard his name.

It was very faint but he definitely heard it.

Was it really possible?

Did the young man really hear him all those time he was patiently talking to him while he's asleep?

Was he aware that he was the one who rescued him from the mountains?

He had so many questions he wanted to be answered but he knew that awake as he was, the young man still needed time to recuperate properly given his injuries.

The questions would have to wait.

He would have to wait.

As Tyki exited the room, the faint voice who called his name a while ago rung persistently in his ears.

_Michael._

_Michael. _

Well, who would have thought Sheril was really telling the truth?

...

"How's the patient?" Sheril asked Tyki. He was standing outside of the opened door of his room. It had only been a few minutes since Tyki arrived home from the hospital.

Tyki threw his jacket on the bed and sat in a swivel chair near his computer table. "He's fine."

"Did he talk to you?"

There was a pause before Tyki answered as he recalled the ash-colored eyes that were watching him a few hours ago. "...He called my name."

Astonishment passed on Sheril's face before he masked it with a joyful smirk again. "So she wasn't really kidding, huh."

Tyki looked at his brother. "Who?"

Sheril smirked. "The beautiful nurse who... never mind. And then? What happened next?"

Tyki almost rolled his eyes.

"Are you courting a nurse now? Really?"

Sheril's eyes widened for a second, "_Courting_?" he said, his deep voice a little higher than usual. "Heavens, no! She was _flirting_ with me and – waitagoddamnminute. We are talking about you and the boy here–"

"He's not a boy."

"He's _so_ small. He's obviously just a boy. No more than fifteen years old and –"

"He's at least eighteen years old."

"Hah. You're just guessing and we know it –"

"And you're just guessing, too."

Sheril raised his eyebrows. "Well, I guess we are just both guessing."

A few moments of silence between them before Tyki broke it off.

"He stared at me, Sheril," Tyki said, his head looking up on the ceiling.

This obviously got his brother's attention. "Did he talk to you?"

"He—" Tyki was torn between saying 'yes' and 'no'. Because the young man didn't really talk to him but then he called his name—twice—and… that was it. He didn't know what to say to his brother.

It was quite complicated.

"He just stared at me," he finally said, sighing.

"And you just stared at him, too?" Sheril said, exasperated. "You could have at least asked his name or where he came from or about what the heck happened to him–"

"The doctors tried asking him, alright? But he said couldn't remember anything about the accident. Or if it is really an accident. They said he couldn't even remember his name... his age... where he lived before," Tyki looked at his brother; his eyes were muddled with so many different emotions. "He doesn't know who he is, Sheril."

Sheril stopped, contemplating about the information he just heard.

"Amnesia, huh."

Tyki sighed, confirming Sheril's assumption.

"What are you going to do now?" Sheril asked his voice low.

Tyki looked at his brother. He knew what he was going to do was kind of weird but he already decided. And whether he liked it or not, his brother should also know about his plans. He was about to say it but Sheril just had to ruin the mood.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Do you want a candy?"

Tyki just rolled his eyes.

Sheril was really a big idiot in a big body.

"But you're looking at me like you want something. Just like when we were just kids. Remember how you used to hold my hand whenever there was a thunder and—"

"SHUT UP!"

Sheril almost bursted into laughter. "I was just telling the truth, Bro!"

Tyki gritted his teeth in annoyance. That wasn't even the truth. Yeah, he was kind of afraid of thunder when he was still young but he never remembered holding his brother's hands whenever he was having an episode.

This fucking old man was fucking with him again.

And here he was, (slightly) worried what this big idiot was going to think if he told him he was planning on bringing home the young man for recuperation.

"Can we just talk seriously for a moment, please?"

Sheril faked a gasp, "What are you saying? I am always serious."

Tyki was so closed in banging his head on a nearby wall.

"I'm planning on bringing him home."

"Okay then. Bring him home."

Tyki almost rolled his eyes.

"I know you're going to say that. But listen to me first. I want to help him. I don't know how but I just couldn't leave him like that. I-I mean, I—" he stopped.

Tyki closed his mouth for like an eternity, trying to remember what he thought he just heard from his brother.

Did Sheril say what Tyki though he said?

He looked at him, the question he was dying to ask was clearly showing on his face.

Sheril looked amused. Again.

How he hated that expression. An amused Sheril always meant trouble.

And headaches.

"I said, okay. Bring him home," Sheril slowly said each word.

"Are you sure?" Tyki hesitantly asked.

"What, you think I am _that _inconsiderate?"

"You are _always _inconsiderate."

"Well, it never stopped you before." Sheril chuckled. "Besides, this is your house. You can do whatever you damn please in here. Bring a pet, bring a friend, bring a boyfriend—"

"HEY!"

"—I wouldn't care. Or I would—but only when I know it would be bad for you."

Tyki swallowed.

Something swelled inside of him. It had been so long since Tyki felt it. This was what it meant to have a family.

"Thanks, Sheril," he lowly said.

"Anytime, Bro. Now, when will we fetch your boyfriend?"

This was what it meant to have a brother—kind of a loose kind of brother, yes, but a brother nevertheless.

"One of these days, I promise you I will smack you so hard you're going to forget we are even related."

"Oh. That sounds very exciting. I love smacking! I didn't know you're into it, too, Bro."

A horrible cold suddenly enveloped Tyki's body as he stared at his brother's wiggling eyebrows. "Seriously, stop," he said fairly horrified as he walked away. "I couldn't even think for the life of me why I am still listening to you."

Sheril laughed his ass off at the retreating figure of his baby brother.

"You started it!"

Tyki did what he thought he should do.

He raised his middle finger.

…

The transfer was easier than Tyki expected. Since the young man had no memory whatsoever, Tyki was automatically given the right to be young lad's guardian. The hospital said that he could be taken home after a few weeks. Or at least until all lab tests were complete.

On the other hand, the staring got more intense. Funnily, Tyki knew deep down inside him that he didn't mind—at all. He just wished that the white haired lad would talk to him, too.

"Uhm, hi. I'm here again," he slowly said as he watched those gray orbs followed him as he walked towards the bed and sat at one of the chairs beside it. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

There was no reply.

But the young lad blinked.

Twice.

Tyki smiled, taking that as a 'yes'.

"The doctors said that you are doing great and uhm, you could be released later this week."

Tyki adjusted the chair he was sitting on and heaved a deep sigh.

"Uhm, I was thinking if you want to… uhm, I mean since you don't have anywhere to go, that is…"

Tyki looked down and stared at those ashened orbs staring directly at him, too.

It made him more scared than ever. He didn't want to admit it to Sheril but yes, he was afraid this young lad was going to reject his help.

But the doctors said that he would be released a few days earlier than expected so…

It was now or never.

Tyki had to try if he really wanted to help.

"Uh, do you want to come home with me?"

…

"That is Sheril," Tyki coughed as he pointed out the burly man standing not too far away from the white hairedd lad.

"Hi! I'm his brother!" Sheril shouted, his face was jovially shining as he bounced like a freaking ten-year-old boy who just seen his parents again after a long separation.

Tyki wanted to cover Neah's eyes.

That _thing_ was definitely not good for his eyesight.

"I'm so glad we've finally met, Neah. My brother has been talking about you for weeks!"

Neah looked curious. This man… he had never seen him before and he looked so… fun. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something and Tyki unconsciously held his breath, itching to hear what he was going to say.

Well, it turned out that Neah was having quite a problem speaking. He could whisper words like, 'yes', 'no', 'hi', 'hello', but you really had to listen very well or wouldn't hear it. Since he woke up, he hadn't said anything longer than three words. The doctors didn't know exactly what was wrong with the white haired lad's vocal chords but they said it would be better after a few weeks. They just had to get him used to talking again.

"Hi," Neah said, his voice still kind of constrained.

Tyki swore he saw his brother's eyes twinkled upon hearing Neah's word.

"He's talking to me! He's so cute Tyki!"

_Here we go again._

It also turned out that Sheril was an undiagnosed pervert and pedophile.

"Hands off!" Tyki growled as he swatted the big arms of his brother getting closer to Neah.

"I just want to hug him, Tyki! You're no fair!"

"I told you, it's _Michael_, you idiot. And you can't hug him."

"Whatever. And you're no fair! I wanna hug him!"

"You'll going to choke him to death, you buffoon!"

"I'll gonna be gentle, c'mon!"

"You officially sound like a pedo, Brother."

"I don't care. S'long I got to hug Neah."

"No one's hugging anyone, Sheril."

"You're no fair!"

"Stop acting like a kid, Sheril!"

"Then stop acting like a jealous lover, Michael!"

Tyki stopped, his jaw clenched and unclenched. He was about to smack the living daylights out of his idiot brother when he heard a low chuckle.

Neah, who was sitting on a wheelchair, was laughing.

Tyki knew he stopped breathing for a few seconds.

Sheril looked very much flabbergasted, too.

…

_"You made me nostalgic__  
><em>_for a love that hasn't__  
><em>_even happened yet."_

— _**Iain Thomas, I Wrote This For You**_

**Author's notes:** Wondering when Tyki/Michael decided to call Neah, Neah? Well, that would be included in the next chapter. So, see you next chapter! (If you are still interested in this story, that is…)

To you reading this: *bowing deeply* I know you want to wring my beautiful neck but please, hold your horses. I'm back to writing again and I am truly so sorry for the unscheduled hiatus. Hopefully, it won't happen again. Thank you so much for sticking around.


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